


Destiny Around the Corner

by Loulou26



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Green Arrow (Arrow TV 2012), F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 08:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 59,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23848489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loulou26/pseuds/Loulou26
Summary: After a fun day out with his daughter and his girlfriend, Oliver Queen's life is turned upside down when a young woman saves his daughter from an attempted abduction. When the woman gets hurt in the confrontation, Oliver vows to take care of her until the kidnapper is found. But danger lurks closer than Oliver realises and he soon finds himself fighting to keep both his daughter and her rescuer safe.
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Susan Williams, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 280
Kudos: 544





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! So, it's been a long time since I've written anything for Olicity. To be completely honest, the end of the show kinda killed my muse for a little while. But recent events have given me a lot of time to think and I soon found myself missing Olicity so much that I just had to write something. So, here we are...
> 
> One thing I want to mention about this fic is that Susan is in it and plays a major part. Now, I know we all hate her with a passion, but please give me a chance, I promise that it hurts me to write her as much as it hurts you to read it. But ultimately, this is an Olicity fic and I am so excited to share this story with you all. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, and I really really hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
> 
> I've got a few chapters done so far, so I will be posting a new chapter every Saturday.

****

“Daddy, can we have ice cream?”

Oliver Queen tilted his head as he glanced down at his five-year-old daughter. “Tessa, what word should follow that question?”

His little girl looked pensive for a moment and then she turned that beautiful smile up to him. “Please?”

“That’s better,” he said, squeezing her hand gently as they walked down the street. The sun was beginning its descent, casting a beautiful orange glow over the whole city. “And yes, we can go for ice cream, sweetie. This is your day out remember?”

“Yay!”

“You shouldn’t coddle her so much, Oliver,” his girlfriend, Susan, said with a light chuckle as she walked beside them holding onto Tessa’s other hand. 

“I don’t coddle her. I’ve just been so busy at work lately and we needed a day out.”

They really did. He hadn’t seen much of Susan either lately; she’d been busy with her own job, so a trip to the zoo was the perfect way for them all to spend some time together. It was also the perfect opportunity for Tessa to be around Susan in a more relaxed setting. He’d only been dating her for three months and she’d met Tessa once, but he felt that the time was right for them to get to know each other a little better.

Tessa’s little forehead creased into a frown. “But daddy always cuddles me. He gives the bestest cuddles in the world!”

“I know he does,” Susan replied, throwing him a wink that almost made him blush. “But I meant coddle, not cuddle.”

“What’s coddle?” Tessa asked.

“Um, well, it means to spoil someone.”

Oliver threw Susan a look, she shouldn’t have said that. If he wanted to spoil his only child, he would do so, but Tessa wasn’t spoiled by any means.

From the sudden widening of her eyes, Oliver knew she’d realised what she’d said. “But that’s not important. Let’s go get that ice cream!”

His daughter’s face lit up again and Oliver inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Tessa was, as his sister would say, a daddy’s girl. And she was fiercely protective of that. She was a bright child who always took things to heart and he didn’t want her thinking that Susan was going to change their relationship. 

Susan looked at him apologetically and he smiled back to reassure her that it was okay. He’d been a little nervous that Tessa wouldn’t accept Susan. She was the first woman he’d dated since Tessa had come into his life and he really wanted it to go well. But Tessa’s comfort was his first priority and thankfully, Susan understood that.

“Can I have bubblegum flavour?” Tessa asked, hopping along with them until she paused and realised her mistake. “Oh, please?”

Oliver chuckled. “You can have whatever you want; as long as you promise you’re going to brush your teeth for an extra minute tonight.”

Tessa nodded emphatically, the movement sending her bouncy, dark blonde curls tumbling around her head. “I promise.”

“How do you still have this much energy after such a long day, Tessa?” Susan asked, swinging their hands back and forth.

Oliver scoffed. “You’re kidding, right? This kid would keep going all night if I let her. Wouldn’t you, baby girl?”

“Daddy,” Tessa sighed. “I’m not a baby. I’m a big girl.”

Oliver held an appeasing hand up. “My mistake, I forgot you’re almost ten.”

She giggled, a sound that always melted Oliver’s heart. “Silly, I’m five and a half years old.”

“You are?” Oliver frowned in amusement and tousled her hair. “Then why are you this tall?”

She huffed and smoothed her hair back down. “Because that’s what growing girls do, Daddy. They grow tall and strong.”

His baby was growing up, he thought with a pang of sadness, but he was glad that he seemed to be doing something right in raising her. It was important to him that she grew up to know her worth and strength, and that she could do whatever she wanted to do in life. “That’s right, sweetheart, they do.”

After crossing the road, Tessa resumed her hopping. “What flavour will you get, Susan? My favourite is bubble-gum. Daddy’s is chocolate chip and my Aunt Thea’s is Rocky Road.”

Susan, who’d been watching their interaction with a tender smile, pretended to think about it for a moment. “Hmm, well I’m more of a pistachio girl.”

“What’s stachio?” Tessa asked, tilting her head curiously.

Oliver pressed his lips together to keep his laugh from bursting out as Susan answered. “It’s a type of nut. Very delicious.”

Tessa grimaced. “I don’t like nuts, they taste funny.”

“Maybe on their own, but they taste wonderful in ice cream,” Susan replied.

Tessa nodded but didn’t say anything else and they carried on walking in silence until the ice cream parlour’s brightly lit sign appeared in the distance.

“Thank you for coming with us today,” Oliver said quietly, using his daughter’s distraction at the thought of imminent ice cream to his advantage.

Susan smiled at him. “It was a lot of fun, Oliver. Thanks for inviting me.”

They’d just gotten to the entrance when Tessa’s hopping turned into full-on jumping. “Aunt Thea’s in there! Susan, look, that’s my Aunt Thea!”

Tessa let go of their hands and surged into the shop, a little girl on a mission. “Good luck getting her to sleep tonight.”

Oliver shrugged. “Well, it is Saturday. I don’t have to work tomorrow so we can have a late night if she wants to. Just this once.”

He turned his head to see Susan looking at him with a soft expression. “You’re a good father, Oliver.”

 _Well, there wasn’t an option to be any less,_ he thought darkly. “She’s my world.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” she replied, linking her arm through his as they walked into the shop. “If you need any company tonight or…?”

Oliver grabbed her hand, holding her back for a moment. “Susan, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… I think it might be too soon for Tessa.”

The sparkle in her eyes faded a little, making Oliver feel like an ass, but she nodded. “I understand. We may have been dating for three months but I’ve only seen her twice now. There’s plenty of time for that later, I guess.”

Was he being overprotective? Should he have introduced them sooner? No, this felt like the perfect time for them to interact. But still, guilt nagged at him. “Susan—”

“I think you’d better go rescue your sister,” she said, pointing over to the counter where Tessa was standing on her tiptoes babbling at Thea. “I’m just going to make a phone call and check in at the office.”

Oliver felt awful as he walked over, tuning in halfway to Thea and Tessa’s conversation. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Susan to spend the night; he just wanted to be sure that Tessa would be okay with it. The only times he stayed at her apartment was when Tessa was sleeping over at the mansion with his mother and sister. Susan had never spent the night at his place and he wondered if he’d been wrong on that, too.

He pushed it to the back of his mind to deal with later as he closed in on the rather excited girl standing at the counter, and then he winced. Susan was right, he was going to have trouble getting her to sleep tonight.

“And then we saw the spider monkeys! They were so cute! They can climb _really_ high into the trees and they don’t fall. I want one, but Daddy said I can’t.”

Thea, his baby sister, laughed and then nodded. “Well, your dad’s right, Tess. Besides, do you really want a monkey pooping all over your bed?”

Tessa scrunched her nose up. “Ewww!”

“Although, he could wear a diaper, but you’d still have to change it.”

Tessa’s smile dropped. “Gross, Aunt Thea.”

“Thea,” Oliver admonished softly. He leaned over the counter to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh, hello brother. You are still alive then?”

He rolled his eyes and placed his hands on Tessa’s shoulders. “You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m seventeen, I’m allowed to be. Especially when I haven’t seen or heard from my only brother in over two weeks.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Things have been so crazy at the company lately.” That was an understatement, but Thea had high school and a part-time job keeping her busy enough. She didn’t need to worry about the family company too.

Of course, being a Queen meant that Thea didn’t technically need to work, but their mother had insisted that she needed to learn the value of money the same way she had. So, together, they came up with a compromise. Since she was in her last year of high school, Thea would work at the weekends and still get a decent allowance. It seemed to be working well so far and, as far as he knew, she was no longer hanging out with the wrong crowd, and her grades were excellent. Oliver was proud of the woman she was becoming. 

“Is everything okay there?” Thea asked. “Mom didn’t mention anything being wrong.”

“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just… there’s a lot going on right now. New contracts and things.”

“Well, just remember that Queen Consolidated is not the only thing that’s important,” she said, her eyes flicking down to Tessa briefly.

“I do know that, Thea,” he replied defensively. 

“I know, sorry. I just don’t want to see you throw yourself into it as much as Dad did. We barely saw him, Ollie, and now—” She cut herself off when she caught Tessa watching her. “Never mind.”

Tessa tugged on his sleeve. “Daddy,” she whispered. “I’m still hungry.”

Thea leaned her elbows on the counter and tousled her niece’s hair. “Sorry squirt, grown-up talk is boring huh? So, let me guess, you want bubble-gum flavour, right?”

“Yes, please,” she replied, making Oliver smile as she smoothed her hair back down with a mild frown. Tessa hated getting messy. If her clothes got dirty, she’d ask him to change them straight away and every single day she asked him for a different hairstyle. He was so grateful for the internet and its abundance of mommy blogs.

“Ooh, so polite this evening, Miss Queen.”

“Grandma and Daddy say manners are important.”

“Yeah, sweetie, I guess they are.” Thea laughed as she got to work serving Tessa a larger scoop than Oliver would like. She was definitely not eating all of that; she’d be bouncing off the walls.

Thea placed it on the counter and grinned at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, and was waiting for him to challenge her on it. But seeing the way his daughter’s eyes almost popped out of her head, he decided to keep it to himself. Thea always spoiled her. Maybe one day that would become a problem, but he doubted he’d ever put a stop to it. It warmed his heart that they were so close, and Tessa needed good female role models in her life.

He glanced back to see Susan still standing near the doorway, talking on her phone. He caught her eye and she nodded for him to order for her.

“So, you took Susan with you today, huh?” Thea asked. Her expression gave nothing away so Oliver couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

But Tessa decided to answer with her mouth full of ice cream. “She didn’t like the monkeys cos one grabbed her dress. She didn’t like that.”

Thea stifled a laugh and tried to disguise it with a cough, but Oliver was dismayed to find his daughter smiling a little too much. Did she not like Susan?

“Hey, Tessa, why don’t you take your ice cream over to Susan while I talk to Thea? Tell her I’m ordering ours now.”

Tessa raised her eyebrows in a way that reminded him so much of Thea when she was younger. “Daddy, you forgot to say please.”

Thea grinned. “She’s got you there, Ollie.”

Indeed, she had. “You’re right. _Please_ take your ice cream over to Susan while I talk to your aunt.”

“Okay.” Tessa grabbed the plastic carton in her little hands and skipped over to Susan, who was now off her phone and greeting the little girl with a smile.

When he turned back, he saw Thea watching them with interest. “You’re going on family days out now?”

“Well, I wouldn’t quite call it that, but I wanted Tessa to get to know Susan and be more comfortable around her.”

Thea shrugged as she started to scoop out Oliver’s favourite flavour of ice cream. “Fair enough. So, what flavour would she like?”

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as he tried to remember.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know what your girlfriend’s favourite ice cream is.”

He rolled his eyes at her. “It’s pistachio, I think, and quit with the jibes.”

Thea held her hands up innocently. “I’m not judging.”

“But you don’t like her, do you?”

“It’s not that. I just think that you should be careful, that’s all. I mean she _is_ a reporter and you _are_ the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.”

“Thea, you don’t need to worry about me. Reporters will always write stories about our family; it’s just the way it is. But I trust Susan and if she’s writing those stories, I know they’ll at least be done with respect. Okay?”

Thea placed his carton of ice cream in front of him, still looking unsure. “Okay.”

“But… you still don’t like her.” He wasn’t exactly sure why Thea’s approval mattered so much to him. But it did, almost as much as Tessa’s.

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t say that, exactly. I don’t really know her.”

“So why don’t you get to know her? Come to my place for dinner. We’ll arrange a time and date and—”

A shrill scream pierced the air and before Oliver could recognise whose it was, he heard Susan shouting his name. She was sitting on the floor holding her cheek, struggling to get to her feet. “Oliver! Someone took Tessa!”

 _Oh my God!_ He ran as fast as his feet would carry him to the door, and looked both ways into the street. “Tessa!”

“Daddy!” Tessa screamed; her voice filled with terror. Adrenalin burned through him as he took off, pushing himself as hard as he could to catch up to the man running away with his baby girl. He was running so fast he barely had time to stop and course correct when a woman who was exiting a shop stepped right into his path, costing him valuable seconds. His heart pounded painfully in his chest when he saw the man turn right into an alleyway.

He heard a thud and what sounded like a woman yelling at the same time that Tessa cried out in pain. “No!” His voice hurt as he yelled.

When he rounded the corner, he saw the man trying to yank his screaming daughter up and away from a woman on the ground. From the looks of it, he’d collided with her and they’d all taken a tumble. “Tessa!”

The woman, who was clearly shocked, looked at him and then back at the man wearing a black ski mask to hide his face, and then she tightened her hold on Tessa’s legs as she quickly got to her feet. “Let her go!”

Oliver was about twenty feet away when the man tried one last time to wrestle the child from the woman’s arms. He slammed his body up against hers, pushing her into the wall. She grunted in pain but she held on even tighter, refusing to let go. When he saw Oliver rapidly approaching, he abandoned his target and ran off towards a van that was parked further down the alley.

Oliver hadn’t noticed it before, but now the bile rose up into his throat as he realised how close he’d been to losing his daughter. The tyres screeched against the ground as it reversed to the end of the alley and then disappeared. His legs ached as he sprinted over to the woman who was now cradling his child protectively against her. When he got closer, he could see her whispering into her ear, trying to calm her and reassure her that she was okay.

“Tessa!”

“Daddy!” she cried, wrapping her little arms tightly around him when he pulled her into his embrace. She sobbed into his neck as the trembling wracked through her entire body and white-hot fury blurred his vision for a moment.

Willing himself to take a few deep breaths, Oliver tried to push the terror and anger down so he could focus on his daughter. “Are you okay, sweetie? Tessa, are you hurt?”

He quickly checked her over and saw a large purple lump coming up on her forehead. It looked fierce and painful. “Oh, baby, your head.”

“I’m so sorry,” the woman said, her long, blonde hair flying around her as she waved a hand erratically in the air. “She hit her head when we fell. I was just walking, and he came barrelling around the corner and we… we all went down and I knew something was… I mean he was wearing a ski mask and she was clearly terrified, so I knew something was wrong. So, I grabbed her, but she hit her head. Is she okay?”

Oliver heard the clicking of heels behind him and then Thea’s voice calling his name, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from his daughter. “I don’t know. I’ll uh… I’ll take her to the hospital to get checked out.”

The woman reached out a hand to touch Tessa’s back, but he instinctively pulled her away. He didn’t trust anyone with his daughter right now, but he did notice the woman’s hand shaking as she dropped it down to her side.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for her to get hurt. I was just trying to stop him from taking her, but I didn’t know she was hurt.”

Oliver let go of the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. Closing his eyes, he leaned his cheek against Tessa’s head as she continued to sob. But the little waver in the woman’s voice caught his attention, and she looked horrified that Tessa was hurt. “Hey, it’s okay. You saved her. I can’t even comprehend what might’ve happened if you hadn’t been here. Thank you.”

She nodded and opened her mouth to say something else but then Susan appeared at his side, her hand rubbing up and down Tessa’s back as she clung to her father. Her little heart was beating so fast against his chest, the pace almost matching his. Each little sob was like a knife to his heart.

“The police are on their way. Is she okay?” Susan asked.

“She hit her head, but—”

Thea gasped. “Oh my God, Ollie, she’s bleeding!”

He froze. “ _What_?”

Tessa cried out as Oliver quickly put her down on the ground to look for any signs of injury. “It’s okay baby, I’m right here, I’m not leaving you.” His heart lurched into his throat when he saw the small, bright, red stain on the side of her yellow dress. Frantically, he pulled it up and checked her stomach, and then sighed in relief. “It’s not hers. She’s okay. She’s okay.”

But that meant… _oh._

He looked up at the woman who was now beginning to look familiar and saw the colour drain from her face as she realised what had happened.

“Thea, take Tess for a minute and call an ambulance.”

Tessa screamed for her father as he pushed her into Thea’s arms. It went against everything in his nature to let her go, but this woman had saved his daughter and now she was hurt. He had to help her.

As he stood up, he noticed the red stain on her mint green sweater growing bigger by the second. _Dammit!_ He saw the moment the adrenalin wore off and her face crumpled in pain.

She pressed a hand to her upper abdomen, groaning when she lifted it to her face and saw it was red. “Oh yeah, I think he stabbed me. Ow, well that’s not good. I—”

She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Her eyelids drooped as she swayed, and she would’ve hit the ground hard if Oliver hadn’t been there to catch her. “Miss? Miss! Come on now, stay with me.”

“Felicity,” she whispered.

“What?” He laid her down on the ground and shrugged out of his brown leather jacket, pushing it gently between her head and the concrete.

She groaned again when he pressed his hand against her stomach, trying to stem the blood flow. “My name. It’s Felicity.”

 _Of course!_ He remembered now.

He cupped her cheek gently as her breathing started to speed up and a bluish tinge appeared around her mouth. She was going into shock. Susan tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned his head to see her looking worried as she offered him her coat. He took it and wrapped it around Felicity as much as he could to keep her warm.

“Hey, Felicity. I don’t know if you remember me but I’m Oliver Queen. That’s my daughter, Tessa. Come on, you have to stay awake until the paramedics get here.”

“Hmm, pretty name,” she said, her voice taking on a worryingly dreamy tone as her eyes drifted shut. “Is Tessa okay?”

“She’ll be fine, you saved her. She’s okay.”

Felicity was losing consciousness and Oliver didn’t know what to do. Sirens blared in the distance, but he feared they might be too late. He hated to cause her more pain, but he had to keep her awake and she was still losing so much blood, so he pressed his hand harder against her stomach. Her eyes shot open as she gasped. “I’m so sorry but you have to stay awake.”

“It hurts, Oliver.”

“I know it does, I know, I’m sorry.” He kept talking to her, trying hard to keep her with him but she was fading fast. He didn’t notice Tessa move until a shaky little hand worked its way into one of Felicity’s.

He looked up to see his little girl, tears still streaming down her face, but now there was also concern in her eyes. “Is she gonna be okay, daddy? She’s hurt bad.”

“She’ll be fine, sweetie. We just need to get her to the hospital.” He looked at Thea, who kneeled behind Tessa holding her other hand tightly. She looked pale, too.

“Will they fix her?” Tessa asked tearfully.

He really wanted to say yes. “I hope so.”

Tessa’s little body trembled as she held on tight to Felicity’s hand, as if doing so would give her the strength to stay awake. But it didn’t. Felicity’s eyes slowly closed and didn’t open again. “Where are the ambulance men, Daddy?” she asked. “I don’t want her to die!”

As fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, he nodded to Thea and she leaned forward to take Tessa back into her arms. But Tessa shook her head frantically, refusing to let go. Oliver cursed under his breath, she was five years old, she shouldn’t have to see this.

“Tessa, the paramedics are on their way, they’re almost here sweetheart,” Susan said in a soothing tone, but Oliver noticed that Tessa didn’t even register her voice. She just kept staring down at Felicity’s face.

“Daddy, she’s not moving,” Tessa whispered, her eyes growing wide. “Is she alive? She’s hurt really bad.”

“She’s alive, sweetie. She’s just sleeping.”

“She’s a nice lady. She didn’t let that bad man take me.”

“I know, baby. She did a very brave thing. Now I need you to be brave for me, okay? I need you to go to your Aunt Thea while I try to help Felicity, can you do that?”

Again, she shook her head, waving Thea away as she tried to reach for her one more time. “No! I want to stay here.”

Oliver’s heart broke at the way she kneeled down fully and wrapped both of her hands around Felicity’s. “She’s cold, Daddy. We need to keep her warm.”

“I’m trying, Tess, I’m really trying. Thea, where’s that ambulance?” he asked between clenched teeth.

“Dispatch said they were ten minutes out.”

“It’s been that already!” he replied, frustration and fear welling up inside him. He could hear the sirens getting closer but they still seemed so far away, and he mentally willed them to go faster.

Susan squeezed his shoulder and stood up. “I’ll go to the end of the alley and direct them down, sounds like they’re close.”

“Ollie…” Thea gave him a worried look and then flicked a glance down to where Tessa was now whispering into Felicity’s ear. He could hear her little sobs as she whispered the same words that he’d heard Felicity whisper to Tessa before. He wished she didn’t have to see this, but he was more concerned with how she was going to cope if Felicity didn’t make it.

No, he couldn’t afford to think like that. Felicity would be okay, she had to be.

He kept the pressure on her stomach with both hands now as the sirens finally reached them, the sound almost deafening as it echoed off the walls of the alley. Two paramedics raced over to him with all kinds of equipment, immediately pushing him out of the way.

As they took over, he watched them work and Susan cleaned his hands off with some tissues and what he guessed had to be hand sanitizer. When she was done, he crouched down and finally took his little girl back into his arms.

“Mr Queen.” He turned to see a familiar face standing there with an assessing but sympathetic expression.

“Detective Lance.”

Detective Quentin Lance surveyed the scene around him as two uniformed officers started cordoning off the alley with crime scene tape to keep the growing crowd of bystanders back. Oliver could tell he wanted to ask what had happened, but as he looked at Felicity and then at the lump on Tessa’s head, he turned and motioned for Oliver to follow him. “I’ll ask later. Right now, I think you need to be heading to the hospital. Officer Brady will take you.”

Oliver nodded, relieved that he wasn’t going to have to stand in this alley any longer. As he followed Lance and Brady to a police car, he glanced back and saw the paramedics loading Felicity’s stretcher into the back of the ambulance.

“I’ll just tell my boss I’m leaving and then I’ll meet you at the hospital,” Thea said, rushing back towards the ice cream parlour.

“Okay. Oh, Thea?”

Thea stopped in her tracks and whipped her head around. “Yeah?”

“Can you call Mom and let her know? I don’t want her to find out about this from the news.” He knew it was only a matter of time before the press got wind of all this if they hadn’t already.

“Sure, Ollie. I won’t be long.”

“Thanks.” Oliver lowered himself into the back of the car slowly, trying not to jostle his daughter too much.

“My head hurts, Daddy,” Tessa whimpered as she cuddled closer to him on his lap. Her little hands had an iron grip on his shirt, and she was still shaking. He would’ve wrapped his jacket around her to keep her warm, but it was still in the alley. Susan sat next to him looking helpless as she smoothed her hand up and down Tessa’s arm.

“I know, baby. We’ll go see the doctor and see what she can do, okay? Then, if you want, we’ll get you some more ice cream.”

It was poor consolation to a terrified child, but it was the best Oliver had right now. He loosened his hold a little; afraid that he might be hurting her, but it only made Tessa burrow further into his chest. Officer Brady turned the siren on as he followed the ambulance, asking Oliver a few questions here and there, but he didn’t hear them.

Susan slipped a hand into his. “Are you okay?”

“No, not really.” His mind kept throwing up images of all that blood and the look on Felicity’s face when she’d realised what was happening. She’d looked so scared.

 _What the hell happened tonight?_ They went from a lovely day out at the zoo and lots of fun, to his baby girl almost getting kidnapped, which led to a woman now fighting for her life. It just didn’t seem real. A shudder passed through him as he thought about what might’ve happened if Felicity hadn’t been there. He would’ve lost his daughter.

He had to keep reminding himself not to go down that road. If he did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to function. All that mattered now was that Tessa was here in his arms, safe.

“How do you know that woman?” Susan asked.

“Hmm?” He looked over at her and then her question registered in his head. “Oh, I don’t, not really. I only met her once. She works at Queen Consolidated.”

Oliver nuzzled his face against Tessa’s head, drawing in a deep breath and the comforting smell of her favourite strawberry shampoo. She was safe.

 _But Felicity isn’t_.

“What’s her name again?” Susan broke through his thoughts again as he watched the ambulance in front tear through the streets of Starling City.

“Felicity,” he replied, trying to remember her last name. “Felicity Smoak.”

_**To Be Continued...** _

**__ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for such an amazing response to the first chapter. Here's the next. Hope you enjoy.

Sitting on a bed in a private room on the children’s ward, Oliver rocked Tessa from side to side on his lap. They’d been brought in from the underground parking lot to avoid the press that had already gathered outside Starling General’s doors. He’d known they would be there, but the sheer amount of them had surprised even him.

“Are you sure she’s going to be okay, Lisa?” Oliver asked.

Doctor Lisa Forrester was a paediatrician from England who’d been Tessa’s doctor since the day Oliver had found out he had a daughter. At his mother’s recommendation, he’d taken Tessa to see Lisa and had liked her right from the start. So much so that they’d been on a first-name basis for the past few years.

Lisa leaned back against a nearby counter and removed her latex gloves. “I’m going to send her up for a CT scan just to be sure, but she’ll be okay.”

Tessa groaned and pushed herself closer to Oliver. He, however, wasn’t convinced. “But she can barely keep her eyes open. Is that normal?”

Lisa smiled. “Yes, she has a concussion but the scan will tell us more. I’m going to keep her in overnight for observation. Don’t worry, Oliver, I’m going to take good care of her.”

Oliver released his breath for what felt like the first time since he’d entered the ER. Had it really only been an hour? This felt like the longest night of his life. “Okay, thanks Lisa. I really appreciate you coming in tonight. I know it was your day off.”

Lisa smoothed a hand over Tessa’s hair. “Anything for my favourite little patient. Have you spoken to the police yet?”

“No, not yet.” Oliver’s anger swirled up again until Lisa rested her hand on his shoulder, both in support and understanding. “I will as soon as Tessa’s settled.”

“Good. I can’t believe someone would try to do this. She’s such a sweet little girl, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt her.”

Neither could Oliver. But someone had tried to take her from him and she _had_ gotten hurt. “I won’t rest until I know who’s behind it.”

“I know. But right now, we’ll focus on treating her and getting her better so that she can go home and rest. I’m also concerned about the psychological effects this might have on her, but that’s something we can deal with later.”

Oliver was concerned about that, too. He didn’t want his little girl to have to go through this, but unfortunately, there was no easy way around it. He just had to make sure that he was there for her every step of the way.

“Oliver,” Lisa said softly, pulling him out of his thoughts. “She will be okay. Children are remarkably resilient; they bounce back fast.”

“I know, it’s just… she’s my whole world. I hate seeing her like this, especially when I can’t do anything to fix it, or take away her fear and pain.”

“You’re doing all you can do right now. She needs to feel safe and you’re the one she looks to for that. You’re doing fine.”

Lisa’s concerned expression changed to a happy one when Tessa raised her head to look at her. “Hi, sleepyhead.”

“Hello,” Tessa murmured quietly. Her voice was so raw from all the crying and screaming, but she managed a small smile. Lisa was her favourite doctor. Her accent had always fascinated her.

“How are you, sweet pea?”

“My head hurts,” she said with another sniffle.

“I know it does, but I promise I’m going to help you feel better, okay?” Lisa gently tapped her nose. “I’m going to send you to get a special scan on your head so we can see why it’s hurting you. Is that okay?”

For a moment Tessa looked scared and Oliver tightened his hold on her. “Will it hurt?” she whispered.

Lisa shook her head. “No, it won’t hurt a bit, I promise. It’s a special machine that takes pictures of your brain, like a camera but on the inside of your head.”

Slowly the fear began to fade from her eyes. “That’s cool.”

“It is, and I’m sure that since you’re such a smarty pants those pictures will tell me a lot about what goes on in there,” she said, brushing her hand over her curls again.

“Can I see the pictures?”

“Sure, if you want to. It is your brain after all.” Lisa chuckled.

Tessa nodded and laid her head back down on Oliver’s chest, her little eyes once again drooping. Oliver had a deep appreciation for this doctor. She had always been able to get Tessa to open up and tonight that meant a lot. She always asked Tessa’s permission before doing anything and he knew that Tessa liked that too.

Lisa stepped away and started writing something in a chart at the foot of the bed. “Okay, I’m going to schedule her in for the scan. A nurse will come by soon to get her and take her up.”

“Can I go with her?”

“You can go up with her but you’ll have to wait outside the actual room.” Lisa adjusted her white coat and smiled at him. “Relax, Oliver. She’s safe.”

As she exited the room, Oliver sighed and scooted back on the bed so that he could lay Tessa down beside him. She was asleep now but her little hands still held their grip on his arm so tightly it made him want to weep.

A light knock on the door had him looking up to see Thea and Susan peeking in. “Can we come in now?”

“Sure, she’s asleep,” he said in a hushed voice.

Thea frowned as she took a seat next to the bed. “Should she be sleeping?”

“Dr Forrester said it was normal. She’s sending her for a CT scan and keeping her in overnight.”

Thea’s eyes widened. “That sounds serious, Ollie.”

“I know, but Lisa said she’ll be okay. She just wants to make sure.”

Thea nodded as Susan crossed over to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “How are you doing, you okay?”

“I honestly don’t know,” he replied, looking down at his sleeping daughter.

“Detective Lance is outside in the waiting room. He wants to talk to you.”

Oliver looked up at her, irritated at the timing. “Then he’s going to have to wait. I’m not leaving her side.”

“I know,” Susan said, almost defensively. “I told him the same thing.”

“Sorry, I just…” he sighed. “My mind’s all over the place right now. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“It’s fine,” she said, but her tone made him think it was anything but.

After casting a reproachful glance at Susan, Thea turned to him. “Mom’s on her way back from Central City with Walter. Digg’s here, he’s in the waiting room. He looks awful, Ollie.”

Oliver closed his eyes. He knew his friend would be blaming himself right now. “I forgot to call him. I gave him the day off today.”

“He keeps saying he should’ve been there, that this wouldn’t have happened if he was.”

“It’s not his fault, he should already know that. But I’ll talk to him when Tessa’s settled in.”

Thea nodded, stroking the back of Tessa’s hand softly. “I still can’t believe this all happened.”

“Have you heard anything about the woman in the alley?” Susan asked.

“Felicity,” he reminded her, “and no, I haven’t had a chance to ask anyone yet. I hope she’s okay.”

The door opened again and a nurse stepped inside. “Mr, Queen? I’m Thomas, I’m here to take your daughter up to CT.”

“That was quick,” Oliver said.

“They have a few minutes free and children with head injuries are always first on the list.”

Thea stood and kissed Oliver’s cheek. “I’ll be in the waiting room. I’ll try to find out what’s going on with Felicity, too.”

He nodded, grateful for the offer. “Thanks, Speedy.”

She rolled her eyes at the nickname and turned for the door.

Oliver lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on Susan’s cheek. “I am sorry.”

“I know, it’s okay. You’ve got a lot on your mind right now. We’ll talk later.”

* * *

John Diggle stood up straight when the door to the waiting room opened and Thea and Susan walked in. “How is she, Thea?”

“She’s okay, Digg. They’re taking her upstairs for a head scan at the moment and she’ll have to stay in for tonight. But Dr Forrester said she’ll be fine.”

Diggle closed his eyes and shook his head. “She shouldn’t be in here at all.”

“Hey, this isn’t your fault. Oliver said he gave you the day off so don’t blame yourself,” Susan said, trying to give him what he thought was a reassuring smile. But it didn’t make him feel any better.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m his bodyguard, it’s my job to protect both of them.”

Thea tilted her head and gave him a look that reminded him of Oliver. “How were you to know this was going to happen? It was Ollie’s choice to go out without a guard so quit blaming yourself.”

He didn’t believe her but decided not to press the issue. He needed to talk to Oliver because he was going to make damn sure that this didn’t happen again. Not on his watch.

Thea reached out and rubbed his arm and then turned her attention to the only other man in the room. “Detective Lance, I’m sorry you’ve been waiting so long, but I don’t think Oliver is going to be coming down anytime soon.”

Lance grimaced. “I know he’s got a lot on right now, but I really need to speak with him. The only other witness I have is currently in surgery, and I need to get a start on finding whoever did this.”

He pointed to Susan and Thea. “I already have your statements but I need more to go on.”

Diggle moved straight into security mode, folding his arms across his chest as he turned to Lance. “Any cameras in the area?”

“We checked surveillance from most of the shops on that street, all of them picked up a man running off with Miss Queen.” Lance paused for a second when he saw Thea flinch. Offering her a sympathetic smile, he continued. “The only problem is that he was wearing all black and a ski mask.”

“Making an identification impossible,” Diggle groused.

“Unlikely, but not impossible. However, there were no cameras facing the alley where the van was parked. I’ve requested CCTV footage from the street that the van escaped onto but that’s taking some time to get. Hopefully we can at least get a licence plate.”

“So, what’s going to happen if you can’t track this guy down?” Susan asked. “I mean, is he going to try again?”

“We’ll track him down, one way or another,” Diggle replied, a dangerous edge in his tone. “Until then, I’m going to put a guard on Tessa’s door tonight, and step up security at the mansion and Oliver’s apartment.

Lance nodded. “We’ll liaise with you on that until we catch this son of a bitch. Right now, I need to get back to the crime scene. The CSU is combing over it as we speak. Have Oliver call me when he’s available to talk _, tonight_. Getting his statement is a matter of urgency.”

“I will,” Thea replied. “Oh, Detective Lance?”

Lance paused at the door and looked back. “Yeah?

“Have you heard anything about how Felicity is doing?”

“Miss Smoak? The woman who was stabbed?” Thea nodded and Lance shook his head. “All I know is that they rushed her into surgery when she got here. I sure hope she’s okay, though. This guy is already looking at attempted murder, if she doesn’t make it, he’ll be going down for the attempted kidnapping of Miss Queen and murder.”

“If you ever find him,” Thea said in a dejected voice. Diggle wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

“We’ll find him, don’t you worry about that,” Lance said, and with a final nod, left the room.

* * *

Oliver had never been so relieved when Lisa told him that Tessa’s scan was all clear, and diagnosed her with a mild concussion. Though he knew those weren’t fun, the alternative was too painful to consider. He’d been waiting outside the room for what felt like hours while his little girl was lying inside a giant machine, and his stomach had been churning the whole time.

Finally, Tessa had been transferred back to her room on the children’s ward and she was fast asleep while Oliver sat at her side stroking her hair. With his free hand he took out his cell phone and started sifting through the hundreds of texts and e-mails he’d received in the past couple of hours. There were ten from Lance in the last hour alone. He really needed to give him a statement.

Trying not to disturb his daughter, Oliver stood and waited until he was sure she wasn’t going to wake. When she sighed and burrowed further into her pillow he walked over to the door and signalled Diggle in from the waiting room across the hall.

Thea was right, he did look awful. Oliver stepped out into the hall and pulled the door shut, leaving about an inch gap so that he could still see Tessa. “What’s the situation?”

Diggle peered into the room, his expression darkening for a moment before he looked at Oliver. “I’m so sorry, man.”

“Why? This wasn’t your fault and you know that. It’s mine. But neither of us could’ve predicted this.”

“I know. So, is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine. She just needs to rest. Did you talk to Lance?”

“Yeah, he doesn’t really have a lot to go on, Oliver. I called Perry, he’s going to be standing at Tessa’s door all night, and when you take her home there’ll be some extra measures until we catch whoever did this.”

Oliver nodded, grateful that his friend would go above and beyond to protect not only him but his little girl too. Diggle had always been more than just a bodyguard. Over the past five years, he’d become one of his best friends and Oliver couldn’t imagine him not ever being there for him. “Is Lance still here?”

“No, but he said to tell you to call him as soon as possible. Tonight.”

“Okay, um…” He looked back at Tessa and then frowned.

Diggle noticed and pulled him out of the doorway. “I’ll sit with her. You go do what you need to do. I won’t leave her side.”

Oliver knew that he wouldn’t, and it made sense because he did have things to take care of. But his heart urged him to stay here in case she woke up scared.

“She’ll be fine, man. She loves me, remember?” Diggle said with a smile, but the guilt still lingered in his eyes.

It was true, Tessa and Diggle had an unbreakable bond. “I know. Okay, I won’t be gone long, I’ll talk to Lance and then come straight back.”

“Why don’t you go and get a cup of coffee too? You look like you need one.”

Oliver shook his head. “No, I don’t want to be away too long.”

“I’ll sit with her too, Ollie,” Thea said appearing behind him. “I need to, you know?”

His little sister was a strong woman but Oliver sometimes forgot that she was still just a teenager, and what she’d seen tonight had to have terrified her. So, he hugged her and then gently pushed her towards Diggle. “Go sit with your niece, Speedy.”

As they disappeared into Tessa’s room, Oliver turned to see Susan standing in the waiting room doorway watching him. He crossed the hall and pulled her into his arms.

“How are you doing?” she whispered in his ear.

“Better. Are you okay?” he asked, gently tipping her chin up to look at the bruise blooming across her left cheek.

“I’m good. I’ve had worse.”

Oliver didn’t want to think about what she considered worse than that. Her job as a journalist was sometimes a dangerous one. He let go of her chin and wrapped his arms around her again, needing some comfort. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too. But, unfortunately, I have to leave.”

He pulled back and looked down at her. “Why?”

“I have an early meeting with my editor in the morning and a deadline to get to. I wish I could stay but…”

“No, it’s okay,” he said, releasing her. “I understand.”

Susan looked conflicted. “I’m sorry, Oliver.”

“This isn’t because of earlier is it?”

She shook her head and cupped his cheek. “No, you already apologised for that. Besides, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I held that against you, under the circumstances.”

She rose up onto her toes to place a soft kiss on his lips and then stepped back. “I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.”

Oliver watched as she walked away, feeling odd, and then it occurred to him that she hadn’t asked about Tessa. But maybe she’d heard how she was when Diggle had asked. He knew that she had a busy job, but still, couldn’t she have stayed just a little longer?

Putting it to the back of his mind, he took out his cell phone to call Lance.

“Lance,” he barked on answering.

“It’s Oliver.”

“Finally, I’ve been trying to get hold of you for the past hour. How’s the little one?”

“She’s okay. Or she will be,” Oliver said, casting a glance back at the door to Tessa’s room.

“You got time for your statement now?”

“Yeah, but not much.”

“I’ll keep it as short as I can. See you in fifteen.”

Oliver blinked in surprise when the phone went dead. Lance had never been one for idle chat anyway, but the fact that Oliver had dated his daughter in his teens had never sat well with him. Added to the fact that it hadn’t ended all that well just made Lance even more brusque. But Oliver knew that Lance was a hell of a detective, and he wouldn’t stop until he caught whoever was responsible.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he turned to head back to Tessa’s room when a thought struck him. He needed to find out how Felicity was, so he headed down to the nurses’ station instead.

There was only one nurse there when he arrived. A young woman whose nametag read, Brianna. “Is everything okay, Mr Queen?”

“Yes, I think so,” he replied, leaning his elbows on the counter between them. “I was just wondering if you could do me a favour.”

Her smile was bright and enthusiastic. “I’ll certainly try. What is it?”

“There was a woman who was brought in by ambulance earlier, Felicity Smoak. I was wondering if you could find out how she is?”

Brianna frowned, the movement pushing her glasses down her nose a little, then she nodded and picked up the phone. “I’ll call the front desk; they’ll know where she is. Are you a relative?”

“No, but she helped my daughter tonight and I want to make sure that she’s okay. She was hurt pretty badly.” At this point it was more of a need than a want. Because of her bravery he still had his daughter, but he hated that she’d gotten hurt in the process. Knowing that she was one of his employees also made his need to know stronger.

He waited until Brianna hung up and raised his eyebrows. “Is she okay?”

Her enthusiasm wasn’t as bright when she looked up at him, which unnerved him a little. “Miss Smoak is in the intensive care unit. Her injuries were quite severe but she pulled through the surgery well. That’s all they could tell me at the moment, they’re still getting her settled.”

 _Severe_. The word rattled around his mind. “Do you think they’d let me see her?”

“Um, well, it’s not really hospital policy since you’re not a relative,” she said and he felt the disappointment rise in his chest. “But I’m sure that once she’s settled, they’ll give you an update on her condition.”

It was the best he was going to get for now so he nodded his thanks and walked back to the waiting room to wait for Lance. When he was alone, he pulled out his phone again and dialled his executive assistant’s number. He needed to see Felicity’s employment record.

* * *

Lance closed his notepad and looked up at Oliver. “So, you’re sure that’s everything?”

“It’s not much, I know, but that’s all I saw. I was too focused on getting Tessa back.” Going through the entire events again had caused the anger and feeling of uselessness to rise deep within him again. Part of him still couldn’t believe that this wasn’t just a bad dream.

“Well, no one would fault you for that,” Lance said. “We got a hit on the CCTV footage, but I’m not holding my breath that it was a real licence plate. These guys planned this well.”

Oliver’s brows shot up. “Wait, there was more than one?”

Lance shook his head. “I’m sorry, I should’ve led with that. The camera definitely picked up two people in the van. They were both wearing masks, though. But from what you’ve said, it makes sense. The van was already running and it took off as soon as the guy got in. Makes sense that he’d have a getaway driver.”

“I guess,” Oliver replied darkly. His whole body was vibrating with anger.

“I’ll need to speak to Miss Smoak when she’s in a condition to do so. She got closer to the attacker so she might’ve seen something you didn’t.”

He forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. Which was easier said than done. “I only know that she’s in the ICU right now but they won’t tell me any more than that. Could you maybe find out more?”

Lance stood up and tucked his notepad into his pocket. “I called earlier but they wouldn’t tell me much. I’ll try again later. Does she have any family that we can call?”

“I don’t know, I’m waiting for my assistant to e-mail me her employee file. I’ll let you know when I do.”

“Fair enough.” Lance extended his hand to shake Oliver’s. “I’ll be in touch.”

He opened the door, narrowly avoiding bumping into someone on the way. “Mrs Queen,” he said giving her a cordial nod.

Moira Queen stood in the doorway looking impeccable as ever. But Oliver could see the fear in her eyes. “Detective Lance. I trust that everything is under control and you have a suspect?”

Lance’s gaze grew sharp. There was no love lost between the Queens and the Lances. “We are investigating to the fullest extent, Mrs Queen.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Moira dismissed Lance without so much as a look and surged into the room with her husband, Walter, right behind.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Mom,” Oliver sighed, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him.

A moment later she pulled back and cupped his face in both hands, studying him. “What happened, sweetheart? Is Tessa okay? Are you okay?”

Oliver filled her in on the details of the evening, watching her expression go from fearful shock, to angry, to furious.

“Do you have any idea who could’ve done this?” Walter asked, taking Moira’s hand and guiding her to a chair. They’d been married for three years, and although Oliver missed his father, he had to admit that Walter was good for his mother.

“If I did, he’d be sitting in a jail cell right now. I don’t have any enemies that I know of.”

“And what of this girl?” Moira asked. “The one who was injured. What was she doing in that alley?”

Oliver saw the look in his mother’s eyes and immediately knew where she was going with this. “No, she’s not involved, Mom. She got hurt trying to save Tessa, and besides she works for QC.”

Moira didn’t look convinced. “Be that as it may, Oliver, you can’t discount the possibility that she might be involved. I mean, the timing is a little suspect, don’t you think?”

Her refusal to use her name as well as her insinuation made him angry. “If _Felicity_ was involved why would she stop that man from taking Tessa? Why would she allow herself to be stabbed if she was a part of the plan?”

“Well—”

“Just stop Mom, okay. Someone tried to kidnap my daughter tonight. I can’t deal with this right now.”

“Very well.” Moira nodded but he could see that she wasn’t going to let the subject drop for long.

He sighed. “Do you even care that Felicity is hurt? That she was in surgery and now she’s in the ICU? All because she tried to stop someone who was running away with a stranger’s child?”

He didn’t know why it bothered him so much, but it did. His mother had a tendency to get a little tunnel vision when it came to her family’s safety, but he’d never realised that others might be expendable to her.

Moira gave him a reproachful look. “Of course, Oliver. I’m very grateful to this woman but I think until we know more, you should be careful, that’s all.”

“I will be. Tessa will not leave my sight until we get these guys.”

“You should both come and stay at the mansion. Mr Diggle will be able to coordinate better security measures from there.” Walter suggested.

Oliver rolled his shoulders around, trying to release some of the tension there. He had to calm down because he couldn’t let Tessa see him this riled up. His little girl picked up on emotions so quickly and if someone was upset, it made her upset too. “I’ll think about that, Walter. Diggle has it all in hand and I think Tessa would be calmer in her own home. But if we need to, we will. Thank you.”

“Oliver, I really think you should come and stay with us,” Moira said worriedly.

He reached out to take her hand in his. “Tessa needs stability right now, Mom. When she gets released tomorrow, I am going to take her home and make her as comfortable as possible. Every time I look in her eyes, I can see how terrified she is and that hurts me so much. I want her to feel safe, and home is where she needs to be for that.”

Moira shook her head but patted his hand. “I understand, sweetheart. Where is she? I’d like to see her, if I may?”

Oliver smiled. “Of course, she’s just across the hall. Thea and John are with her right now. “

“How is Thea?” she asked, getting up to follow him.

“A little scared but she’s okay.”

“And Susan?”

Oliver didn’t really want to get into all that right now. He knew his mother disapproved of him dating a journalist, and explaining her absence would only reinforce her views. He placed a hand on her back to guide her towards the room. “Come on, let’s go see your granddaughter.”

* * *

A few hours later, Oliver was lying on the cot that the nurses had provided him in Tessa’s room. Tessa was sound asleep and for the first time that night, she looked peaceful. He just hoped she wasn’t going to have any nightmares, but he was prepared for it if it happened.

Checking through his phone, he ignored the constant string of e-mails from various news outlets asking for quotes and looked for the one that his assistant had sent him earlier. He hadn’t had a chance to check it while his mother and everyone else had been there. But they’d gone home for the night and now it was only Perry, one of their bodyguards, who was sitting outside Tessa’s room.

All was quiet except for the sound of Tessa’s breathing. It was one of the benefits of having a large patient room with an en-suite bathroom and waiting room to yourself. It was also more secure. He was grateful for that. The Queens' donations to the hospital over the years afforded him certain privileges, and tonight, his daughter’s comfort and safety were paramount.

He opened the e-mail that contained Felicity’s personnel file and frowned when he skipped to the next of kin part. She didn’t have anyone listed. Did that mean that she hadn’t wanted to list anyone? Or, he feared, did it mean that she didn’t have anyone to list?

The door opened just a crack and Oliver shot to his feet and placed himself between the door and Tessa. His chest eased when he saw Thea’s head peeking through. “Thea, what are you doing here?” he whispered.

“I didn’t want to go home. I can’t stop seeing her little face streaming with tears.” His sister crossed her arms across her chest tightly, as if she were holding herself together.

“Hey, come here,” he said softly, opening his arms for her to walk into. “It’s okay, I understand. You want to stay here tonight?”

“Is that okay? I can sleep in the waiting room if you want. I just want to be near her.” She sniffled against his shoulder.

 _Oh, Thea._ “No, you’ll stay here and take the cot. I’ll take the chair.”

“Okay, thanks, Ollie.” She pulled away and sat down on the edge of the cot. “I just keep thinking, who would do this kind of thing? Who hates our family that much? I mean, I know we’re not exactly popular with certain people but… this is on another level.”

He’d thought the same thing. Lance had said this was well planned, so that meant that whoever it was, knew him and his family. He cleared his throat. “It probably wasn’t as deep as that, Speedy. Maybe it was a ransom plot. Our family draws a lot of attention in this city.”

Her devastated eyes looked up at him. “Don’t you ever think that the attention it gets us is more bad than good?”

“Sometimes, but we can’t let that get to us. The most important thing is that they didn’t succeed and Tessa is safe and where she belongs, with us.”

Thea let out a long sigh. “You’re right. I love that little girl so much, Ollie.”

Oliver smiled as he sat down next to her and pulled her in for a one-armed hug. “She loves you just as much. You’re the best aunt to her.”

“I hope so. I’ve tried to be better, _do_ better. I want to be a good role model for her.”

“You already are.”

With a grateful smile, Thea nodded and sat up straight, glancing down at his phone that still lay on the cot. She picked it up and passed it to him. “Is that Felicity’s file?”

“Yeah,” he replied, scrolling back up to the top. “Felicity Megan Smoak, twenty-five years old, graduated from MIT in 2009.”

“Wow, that’s young,” Thea said. “So, she’s like, super-smart then.”

“Apparently so.” Oliver read on, impressed at what he was seeing. “She graduated summa cum laude with a Masters in Computer Sciences and Cyber Security.”

Thea read over his shoulder. “So, she’s a genius _and_ brave. I mean, that was some fast thinking for her to grab Tessa like that.”

Oliver studied the face in the picture. She was very pretty, he had to admit. But he wondered why she had no family listed in her contacts. She’d been working for his company for the past six months and she’d moved to Starling then so…was she all alone? That thought didn’t sit well with him at all.

Her eyes were so blue behind her glasses that they drew him in, and he found himself wondering what she was like. She looked like a bright, bubbly kind of person. But how much could you really tell from a picture?

“Ollie?”

Snapping back to attention, he looked at Thea. “Hmm?”

“I said, does she have any family we should call?”

“Uh, no. Well, I mean she doesn’t have anyone listed. So, I don’t really know.”

Thea was watching him with narrowed eyes. “Maybe you should go and see her.”

“What? No, I can’t leave Tessa.”

“Tessa’s asleep and I’m here now. Go on, I can see you want to. Besides, you’re her boss, it’s only right that you should check in on her.”

He shook his head, his mind and heart warring between wanting to go and needing to stay with Tessa. “I’m not a relative so they won’t even let me in.”

“And that, brother dear, is where being a Queen comes in handy. If that doesn’t work just use your usual Ollie charm.” She shoved him off the cot so he had no choice but to stand. “Go on, I would really like to know how she is, too.”

When he hesitated, looking at Tessa then back at Thea, she stood and smiled sadly. “Ollie, we owe her that much, don’t you think?”

They did. _I do._

* * *

The Intensive Care Unit was located two floors up from the children’s ward. Stepping off the elevator, Oliver walked to the nurses’ station but he couldn’t see anyone around. This was stupid, they weren’t going to let him in, it was late and he really should be with Tessa. But Thea’s words rang in his ears. _We owe her that much._

A tired-looking nurse came through the doors and jumped when she saw him standing there. “Oh, my Lord, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Oliver Queen, there was a patient brought in earlier—”

“Ah, yes. Miss Smoak. I answered the call to Brianna earlier. I’m aware of your situation, Mr Queen, and while I do sympathise, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let you in to see her.”

 _Damn_. Since she looked around fifty-ish, he doubted that Thea’s so-called ‘Ollie charm’ would work. So, he opted for the baby eyes instead. In his teens, he’d used it to his advantage many times. “I understand that, but she’s my employee and she was hurt trying to help my family. I just needed to see for myself that she’s okay, that’s all.”

The nurse studied him with sympathetic eyes. “Does she have any family in the area?”

“No, not that I know of and I can’t find a next of kin for her either.”

“Hmm. Well, visiting hours are long over but…” She looked up and down the hall to see if anyone was listening and Oliver started to hope.

“But?”

“But I suppose since you are her boss, and her family can’t be located, I can let you in for a few minutes to see her.”

 _Yes!_ He cleared his throat. “I would very much appreciate that.”

She sighed as she rolled her eyes, but the small smile she gave him let him know that she wasn’t all that annoyed. “Follow me, and remember, only a few minutes.”

He started to follow her through the doors and down the hall. “I wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble.”

“The rules are in place for a reason, Mr Queen. But I don’t like the thought of people being in here alone. Of having nobody who cares about them. Miss Smoak will most likely be moved onto the surgical ward soon, so you’ll be able to visit her during visiting hours.”

“That’s good to know.” And a relief, he thought.

They came to a stop at another station and she pointed to a room opposite. The doors and walls were glass so that the nurses could keep an eye on their patients. “How is she?”

“I can’t tell you much but her surgery was a success and she’ll probably only be in the ICU overnight.”

“Probably?”

“That’s all I can tell you, I’m afraid.” She angled her head toward the room. “Go on, you got five minutes.”

Oliver slowly wandered over to the door and stood there for a second, not knowing exactly what to do other than stare at Felicity. In the dim lighting, she seemed so small and fragile in that bed. _No, not fragile._ What she’d done tonight had been nothing short of heroic.

Moving a little further into the room, Oliver stopped at the side of her bed. Her blonde hair had been tied into a braid and her glasses were missing, making her seem younger. But as he looked at her face, he found himself wishing that she would open her eyes. He wanted to see if they really were as blue as the picture in her file.

Slowly, he reached out to touch her hand and cleared his throat. “Hi, Miss Smoak. Or can I call you Felicity?” he smiled at the ridiculous question. _Do you really expect an answer?_

“I don’t know if you can actually hear me, but I just wanted to see if you were okay. Well, that’s not entirely true. I needed to know that you were okay. I’m so grateful for what you did and I’m sorry that it landed you in here. Most people would’ve ignored a cry for help or simply just walked on by. So, thank you.”

He perched on the edge of the chair next to her bed, keeping contact with her hand. “Tessa’s still here. They’re keeping her overnight but she’s okay. She’s safe because of you. I can’t ever repay you for that.”

His mind went back to her file. “I wanted to let you know that you don’t need to worry about a thing, okay? I’m going to take care of everything.”

“Mr Queen?” The nurse appeared at the doorway, a gentle smile on her face. “Time’s up I’m afraid.”

 _Already?_ He nodded in response and glanced back down at Felicity. “I’ll come back to see you tomorrow.” He lowered his head and whispered, “If I’m allowed to, that is.”

With a strange feeling in his gut, he left the room and followed the nurse back to her station. “Thank you for that. I really appreciate it.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Surprised that she’d heard him, Oliver chuckled and turned to head back down to Tessa. He needed to try and get some sleep; he had a lot to do tomorrow.

_**To Be Continued...** _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa gets released from the hospital and Oliver finally visits a conscious Felicity.

Felicity’s eyes jerked wide open when she felt someone gripping—no—squeezing her arm. For a second, she panicked before a nurse with a kind smile leaned over her.

“Miss Smoak, try to relax, you’re in the hospital.”

“Hosp… what—” What was wrong with her voice? It was hoarse and her throat was dry and sore.

“Ssh, don’t try to talk, your throat will be sore from the breathing tube. My name’s Patricia, by the way.”

 _Why am I in the hospital? What happened?_ She blinked the tears back as she tried to remember but the pressure on her arm grew and she looked down, frantically.

“It’s okay, I’m just taking your blood pressure.” Then the pressure eased. “There, all done.”

Felicity closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. Okay, she was in the hospital. She was obviously hurt judging by the pain in her abdomen. So, what had happened?

“What’s the last thing you remember, sweetie?” Patricia asked.

“Um… I was working all day and then…” She shook her head, trying hard to remember the rest. “I came home from work and I wanted ice cream, but I was out. I stress eat and it had been a hard day at work.”

“Take your time, Miss Smoak. Don’t rush it.”

But Felicity wasn’t listening. “I was walking down an alley; I took a short cut and th—” Her eyes widened as she finally remembered. “Someone came barrelling around the corner, out of nowhere. A man. He was wearing a mask but he was carrying a kid. She was screaming.”

Patricia placed a hand on her shoulder but she flinched away. “Miss Smoak—”

“What happened to me?” she asked breathlessly. “I remember him… stabbing me. I grabbed the girl cos she was terrified. But I don’t remember what happened after her father arrived.”

Felicity could feel her panic rising and she didn’t know how to stop it. A picture of her boss’ face came to mind and all she could see was the pure fear in his eyes. “What happened to me?” she asked again.

“You were unconscious when you were brought in and they took you straight into surgery. It went well, but the doctor will be able to tell you more later.”

“But, the little girl. Is she okay? She got hurt in the scuffle when we fell, but is she okay?”

“She’s fine, don’t worry. I spoke to her father last night,” she said, smiling down at her. “He came to see you.”

That surprised Felicity. Why would he come to see her when he clearly had more important things to worry about? “Why?”

Patricia shrugged. “He wanted to see how you were doing. He was only here for a few minutes.”

 _He came to see me._ “That was nice of him.” Felicity could feel her pulse starting to slow, and the clawing panic of imminent danger slowly starting to fade.

Patricia finished hanging a fresh IV bag and took off her gloves. “Now, you just get some rest okay? No more talking. I’m going to page someone to come and see you now that you’re awake.”

She nodded, her eyes already growing heavy. “When can I get out of here?”

“Not for a while yet, I’m afraid. Now, sleep. Dr Rose will be here soon.”

Felicity wanted to protest but a warm feeling began to spread throughout her body, luring her back to a calm state. As her eyes closed, the face of a terrified little girl entered her mind, and she automatically felt like she knew her.

_Tessa?_

* * *

Oliver was on the phone to his assistant when Thea came bursting into the room. She’d gone to the cafeteria to get them some breakfast and coffee but she didn’t look happy now. When it looked like she was about to blow, he held a hand up to ask her to wait until he’d finished his call.

“And you’ll get that done today?” He waited for his assistant to respond. “That’s great. No, nothing else for now. Thanks, Claire I appreciate it.”

He hung up and looked at his sister. “What’s wrong?”

She flung a newspaper at him and he barely caught it before it smacked him in the face.

“Your _girlfriend_!” she spat.

He shook out the Starling City Star newspaper and frowned when he saw the headline on the front page.

**Kidnap Attempt on CEO’s Daughter**

_What the hell was Susan thinking?_

“Well?” Thea demanded. “Did you know she was going to do this?”

Oliver skimmed through the article. The deadline Susan had left for last night now made sense. But had she been eager to get this to print? Or was she simply trying to help? He wanted to believe the latter. “No, I didn’t know she was going to do this, but it doesn’t seem that bad.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“It’s tasteful at least, she doesn’t mention Tessa’s name or Felicity’s.”

Thea snatched the paper from him and stared into his face. “Ollie, she wrote an article about _your_ trauma. She is profiting off of someone trying to kidnap _your_ daughter!”

“I don’t think that’s why she did it, Thea.”

She shot him an incredulous look. “Oh no? Ollie, you can’t be this stupid, she’s using you!”

“I will talk to her.”

“To what? Give her an exclusive?”

Now he was getting angry. “That’s enough! You don’t know her. You saw the media outside last night, maybe she was just trying to get the scoop to stop everyone else gawking and trying to get information.”

“You know, you are a lot of things, Ollie, but I never took you for being naïve.”

“I’m not naïve, Thea. We both grew up in the spotlight, we know how the media can be. But it’s not’s fair to Susan to assume—"

“Daddy?” Both Thea and Oliver stopped and turned to see Tessa awake and sitting up in her bed, looking at them with wary eyes. “Why are you arguing?”

He got up and sat on the edge of her bed, leaning down to place a kiss on her hair. “Hey, baby. We’re not arguing, we were just talking that’s all. How are you feeling?”

Tessa looked at Thea in confusion but thankfully let the subject drop. “My head still hurts but not as bad as yesterday.”

“That’s good!” Oliver replied, kissing her again.

“Is Dr Lisa here? Did she bring my pictures?”

“No, not yet. It’s still early so she’ll be in a little later.”

Thea sat on the foot of the bed. “What pictures, Tess?”

Oliver was relieved to see some of the sparkle return to Tessa’s eyes when she started telling Thea about the CT scan. He was afraid he’d never see it again. He’d been thankful that she hadn’t woken in the night with a nightmare, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t in the future. Right now, she was still half asleep but he didn’t know what to expect when she finally remembered what had happened.

“And she said it takes pictures of your brain!”

“Wow, that sounds pretty cool, I want to see them too,” Thea said in mock fascination.

“I’ll show you when she brings them.” She returned her gaze to Oliver, wary again. “Daddy, you look sad.”

“I’m not sad, baby. I promise.”

Tessa cuddled closer to him, her breath hitching in her throat as her eyes grew watery, and Oliver knew that last night was finally hitting her. “Did…did the police catch the bad man?”

Oliver tightened his arm around her and ran his fingers through her messy curls. “Um, not yet honey, but you don’t need to be scared okay? I’m right here, and I _promise_ you that man won’t ever come near you again. The police are looking and they will catch him, okay?”

He met Thea’s worried eyes over the top of Tessa’s head. His sister pasted on a smile and leaned down so that she was at eye level with her.

“Your dad’s right, squirt. No one is ever going to hurt you again. You have your dad, me, Roy. Plus, Grandma and Grandpa Walter. And Diggle is going to make sure that you have all the protection in the world. So, you really don’t need to be scared anymore.”

“You promise?” she asked, her quiet voice squeezing Oliver’s heart.

“Cross my heart,” Thea replied, doing the action as well.

Tessa nodded but the frown on her face didn’t disappear and she looked as though she was deep in thought.

“What’s wrong, Tess?” Oliver asked.

“What about Flicity?” she asked. “Is she okay?”

Oliver didn’t know how to answer that because he hadn’t had a chance to get an update yet. “She’s okay, honey. I checked on her last night. She was sleeping, like you.”

Her little nose wrinkled as she pursed her lips. “So, she isn’t hurt bad?”

He didn’t want to lie to her but he also didn’t have enough information to tell her the truth. “I think the doctors fixed her up.”

“Can I go see her? Please, Daddy?”

“Uh… I don’t know about that. She’s on a ward that doesn’t allow visitors who aren’t family.”

“Oh. But… we could tell them we’re her family. Couldn’t we?”

“It doesn’t really work like that, honey,” he said and her face crumpled. 

Oliver hated that disappointed look, it always got to him. “But the nurse did say that when she’s moved to another ward, she’ll be able to have visitors then. So, when that happens, I’ll take you to see her, okay?”

He’d had a feeling that she would want to visit her. Based on her behaviour last night when Felicity was lying on the ground, it was only natural that she would want to see her for herself. It was something that he could relate to.

“Okay.” She managed a little smile and snuggled up against him again, a yawn creeping up on her.

“Still tired?” Thea asked.

“Yes, and my head still hurts.”

“It will for a couple of days, Tess, you just gotta rest, that’s all. But I bet breakfast will be coming soon,” she said in a singsong voice.

That lifted her spirits a little, as Thea had intended. They really did have a special bond and Oliver loved that. “Ooh, can I have waffles?”

Thea stood and dropped a quick kiss on her head. “Tell you what, I’ll go and find a nurse and I’ll see if she can get you some, okay?”

“Thanks, Aunt Thea!”

“Yeah,” Oliver said, drawing her attention as she opened the door. “Thanks, Speedy.”

She gave him a cool look in response and nodded before walking out. _Great,_ he thought, _how long is she going to stay mad at me this time?_

* * *

Felicity woke again with a start, her heart hammering inside her chest as she cast her eyes around the room. _Still in the hospital, okay_. She drew in a deep breath and winced when it pulled at her stitches. “Dammit,” she murmured.

Lifting her blanket and gown, she tried to see the damage, but her upper abdomen was covered by a thick bandage. _Well, it could be worse,_ she told herself, y _ou could be dead right now._ Now that was a terrifying thought. Instead of letting herself get worked up again, she focused on the nurses outside her room. Life carried on as normal. Except for her.

Due to the wall and door being all glass, Felicity caught sight of the nurse, Patricia, and who she assumed was Dr Rose walking toward her room. He was handsome in a Patrick Swayze kind of way, which she appreciated, but her mind constantly kept throwing up images of Oliver Queen’s face.

Now _he_ was handsome in a very unique way. He was also her boss and completely off-limits. But at least he was a kind person. She could tell from the look in his eyes and the fact that he’d visited her last night, even though he’d had no need to. She wished she’d been awake to see him.

The glass door slid open and Patricia and the doctor made their way over to her bed. “Good morning, Miss Smoak. I’m Dr Rose. How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m alive, so that’s good.”

His lips twitched. “It certainly is. Do you mind if I take a look at your abdomen?”

“No, go ahead. I’ve already had several people rooting around inside me so—” Her eyes went wide before automatically slamming shut, willing the bed to just swallow her whole. _Why do you always put your foot in your mouth?_ It was a common problem with her. That, and rambling. She just couldn’t seem to find a way to stop it.

Either Dr Rose was just as embarrassed as she was—although she doubted that—or he just wasn’t all that surprised. He simply smiled and lifted her gown, making her wince when he pulled the adhesive tape of her dressing away from her skin.

He pressed lightly all around the wound. “Hmm, yes, looks good. Are you in much pain?”

“A little, but it’s not too bad. I think the morphine is doing its job.”

“Good.” He replaced the dressing and perched himself on the foot of her bed. “Before I begin, I want you to know that your surgery went well and there is no cause for concern.”

“Okay,” she said warily. Starting off with that was a sure-fire way to make her concerned, but she kept that to herself.

“The knife you were stabbed with was presumably a short blade because it didn’t penetrate too deeply. However, it did nick the left lobe of your liver. Now, I say nick because the wound is only about a millimetre long and the liver itself was not penetrated.”

“So, what does that mean?” she asked, feeling the blood drain from her face. “I know the liver regenerates but is there likely to be lasting damage?”

He leaned forward to pat her arm. “Not at all, we were able to repair the damage fairly quickly. I don’t foresee any complications from that. Your recovery, however, will take a little longer just in terms of the physical aspects. You’ll need to rest for a couple of weeks before doing anything that might be considered strenuous.”

She swallowed hard. “Okay, so how long do I need to stay here?”

He raised a brow. “Here as in the ICU? Or the hospital in general.”

“Both.”

He chuckled. “Not a fan, huh?”

“Not really, no.” _Understatement of the year_. But more than that, she wanted to find the asshole that did this to her, and she couldn’t do that from a hospital bed. Well, she could, but she didn’t have any of her stuff with her.

“Well, your vitals are strong and I’m pleased with your progress so far. You’ll be able to go to the surgical ward in a couple of hours. Beyond that, we’ll assess you on a daily basis but you should be well enough to leave in a few days. You’ll have to come back a couple of times for a check-up but other than that, you should be good to go.”

Relief washed through her. “Thank you.”

He smiled and stood up. “No problem. You’re a lucky woman, Miss Smoak. Another centimetre to the right and you would’ve been in serious trouble.”

 _Well, that’s reassuring_ , she thought.

* * *

“Snap!”

“Hey, no fair, you cheated!” Oliver whined as Tessa dissolved into giggles. “I want a rematch, young lady.”

He started dealing out the cards again, watching her with an amused smile. She seemed a little brighter after her breakfast and he was hoping that Lisa would let him take her home soon.

“Well, it’s not my fault that you’re so slow, Daddy,” she said with her head rocking side to side to emphasise her words.

He held a hand to his chest in mock outrage. “Are you saying I’m old?”

Her eyes flickered as if she’d thought she’d hurt his feelings, but then she laughed again. “No, not _old_ old. But older than me.”

“True as that may be, I’ll have you know that I am only twenty-eight years young.”

“See? Old,” she said, her nose scrunching up adorably. “You still can’t beat me at hopscotch.”

“Really? Well, we’ll just have to have a rematch on that as well when we get home.”

“Don’t listen to him, Tess,” Diggle said from the doorway. “He knows he doesn’t have a chance of beating you at hopscotch.”

“Diggle!” Tessa dropped her cards, scattering them all over her bed as she raised herself to her knees. She held her arms up and Diggle swept her up into a big hug.

“What’s happening, Little Miss?”

Tessa shrugged. “Nothing. Just beating Daddy at cards again.”

“So, nothing new then,” he replied with a conspiratorial wink.

“I’m still sitting here, you know.” Oliver deadpanned. “Has Perry gone home?”

“Yeah, I’m staying here for the rest of the day now. Or until this one gets released from prison.” Tessa giggled as Diggle tickled her under her arm.

He looked around the room. “I thought Thea stayed here last night?”

“She did but she went to meet Roy about an hour ago. She’s not very happy with me at the moment.”

“What did you do?”

Tessa cupped her mouth to Diggle’s ear and whispered, “Daddy and Aunt Thea were fighting earlier.”

Oliver flinched. “We weren’t fighting, Tess. Anyway, why do you always assume it’s something I’ve done, Digg?”

Diggle shrugged and gently plopped Tessa back down on the bed. “Because it usually is.”

Oliver frowned. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Diggle’s eyes flicked to Tessa, who was listening to every word. “Gotcha. Have you heard from Lance this morning?”

Oliver blew out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, he doesn’t have any leads yet. Licence plates were fake and he hasn’t been able to pick up the van on any traffic cameras yet. But, again, we’ll talk about that later.”

Diggle nodded. “Okay, I’ll be out in the hall if you need me. Oh, your mother told me to remind you that she insists on you accepting her offer.”

 _I bet she did_. “I thought about it but no. We need to be at home, Digg.”

“She knew you would say that but she would also like to talk to you about a certain reporter.”

 _Susan._ He knew exactly how that conversation would go. “I’ll call her after Dr Forrester arrives.”

As Diggle closed the door behind him, Tessa tilted her head. “What does Grandma want to talk to you about, Daddy?”

Oliver returned his attention to the cards strewn across the bed. “I bet she just wants to ask when you’re coming home so she can come give you lots of hugs.”

That answer seemed to satisfy her curiosity for now and she started picking up her cards. But her eyes seemed to dull a little. “Tess? Are you tired, honey?”

“A little.”

“Lie down and have a little nap. Lisa will be here soon.”

He knew she wasn’t feeling great when she actually did what he’d suggested. He put the cards away and tucked her in, kissing her forehead. The lump on her head had gone down a little but it was still an angry purple colour and still alarming to look at.

“You’ll stay with me, right?” she asked, snuggling into her pillow.

Smoothing his hand over her curls, he nodded. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

* * *

“Who do you think you are?”

Susan jumped in her seat at the angry voice. Slowly, she turned and saw Thea Queen standing there, arms crossed with a look of fury on her face.

She shook her head and chuckled. “Is there anywhere that the Queen name doesn’t get you?”

Thea raised an eyebrow. “Not really.”

She turned back to her desk. “What can I do for you, Thea? I’m really busy today.”

“I’m sure you are. Articles to write, deadlines to meet, families to exploit.”

“What are you talking about? Why are you here?” Susan asked, even though she knew.

“You know damn well why I’m here,” Thea spat, moving around to sit on the side of her desk. “You wrote an article about what happened last night!”

Susan met her gaze without flinching. “Yes, I did.”

“Why? What gives you the right?”

“I did it for your brother.” When Thea scoffed Susan gave her an irritated look. “You may not believe that but it’s true. The press outside that hospital last night was… well, you saw how many there were. Do you really think that they would give your brother, or Tessa for that matter, any peace until they got what they wanted?”

“You used your relationship with my brother to further your career. That’s inexcusable, even for you. Does your editor know you’re sleeping with the subject of your article?”

Susan bristled at her words. “Look, I don’t care what you think about me, but please don’t pretend to know anything about my relationship with Oliver. I was only trying to help. I’m not good with the touchy, feely stuff okay? That was the only way I could think of to ease Oliver’s burden. I thought if I got the scoop then the rest would just back off a little.”

True, it had helped to bump her up in her editor’s eyes, but having Thea, a teenager, accuse her of using Oliver annoyed her. She was a damn good reporter on her own merits.

But it didn’t seem like Thea could be convinced. She leaned forward jabbing a finger towards her. “Listen to me, I don’t care what your reasons are. You will _not_ write any more articles about my family if you want to be a part of it. Understand?”

Susan frowned. “I have to do my job, Thea. Oliver understands that. Why can’t you?”

Thea ignored the question and stood up. Her eyes took on a callousness that Susan thought should never exist in a seventeen-year-old. _Maybe there’s more to Miss Queen than meets the eye._

“Your relationship with Ollie is bad enough, Susan. Don’t cross me, I _am_ a Queen, after all. I can end your _career_ faster than you can blink.”

With that said, Thea turned and stormed out of the bullpen, leaving Susan feeling a mixture of interest and a little fear. She wasn’t scared of Thea Queen, but making an enemy out of her family would not end well.

Since it was almost time for lunch, she logged out of her computer and was just grabbing her jacket when her phone rang.

“Susan Williams,” she announced, tucking the phone between her ear and shoulder so that she could check inside her purse.

“What the hell are you doing talking to a Queen?” The voice was harsh and full of rage.

“What the hell are you doing calling me at the office?” she countered in a hushed whisper, looking around to see if anyone had noticed.

“Cut the crap, lady. What did you tell her? If you sell us out, I swear to—”

“Oh relax, I didn’t tell her a thing. Why would I? And you seem to forget who you’re talking to.”

There was a brief hesitation on the line before he murmured, “Sorry. But last night was a shit show and—”

“And that’s my fault how? I don’t believe I asked you to put an innocent bystander in the hospital,” she said, barely managing to keep her control. “The _one_ thing I was crystal clear on was that nobody was to get hurt!”

“I panicked! She wasn’t supposed to be there!”

“And what are you going to do if she is able to identify you? Did you think about that?”

She heard him gulp. “She won’t be able to, I was covered head to toe.”

“Did you speak at all?”

“No, I don’t… think so. Do we need to take care of her?”

Susan’s lip curled in disgust. “No. Leave her to me, I’ll deal with it.”

“Are you sure? Cos—"

“Listen to me, everything is under control. Just stick to the plan we laid out and it will all be fine. Don’t contact me here again. Just lay low for now, and stop spying on me!”

Annoyed, she slammed the phone down and headed out to lunch. But Thea’s warning rang in her head. She had no doubt that the Queens could crush her if they chose to. They were one of the most formidable families in Starling City. So, she would just have to make sure that she earned their trust.

_No matter how long it takes._

* * *

“Okay, so since her scan was clear and the lump on her head is going down gradually, I’d say she’s good to go,” Lisa said, placing her little penlight back into the pocket of her white coat. “What do you say, Tessa? Ready to go home?”

Oliver had been sitting on the cot, waiting and watching while Lisa went through Tessa’s scan photos with her. The fascination on her little face made him chuckle. Now, he was just eager to get her home.

Tessa nodded. “Yep. I was ready before breakfast.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m very sorry for the wait. But I have to make sure my favourite little patient is well enough first, don’t I?”

Tessa nodded thoughtfully. “I guess so. Wait, does that mean I can go see Flicity now?”

Lisa looked at Oliver with a curious expression. “Who’s Flicity?”

“Felicity Smoak, the woman who got… hurt last night,” Oliver replied, mindful of little ears. “But we already talked about this, Tess. Remember? I said we’d go see her when she’s transferred to another ward.”

Tessa rolled her eyes. “I know, Daddy. Lisa, has Flicity been moved yet?”

“Ah, sorry Tessa, that’s not really my area. My job is to take care of the little patients, like you.”

Tessa’s eyes dropped to her hands and Oliver reminded himself that whatever he said about Felicity, he had to do it gently. His little girl had been through enough already. But if he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he wanted to see Felicity too.

Lisa crouched down to eye level with Tessa. “How about I go make a phone call and find out if Felicity is ready for visitors, hmm?”

Tessa still didn’t smile but her eyes did brighten a little. “Really?”

Part of him wanted to deter her from putting Felicity on some kind of pedestal. That could only lead to disappointment in the future. But if it helped her recovery, mental or otherwise, then he would allow it for the time being.

“Really,” Lisa said with a small chuckle. “In fact, I’ll go and call right now.”

“Thank you.”

Just as Lisa got to the door, Oliver stood. “Lisa, may I have a quick word with you?”

“Of course,” she replied, opening the door.

“Wait!” Tessa said, her eyes widening in fear. “Where are you going?”

He reached out for her hand. “Just outside the door, I’m going to talk to Lisa for a few minutes.”

“Don’t leave, Daddy. Okay?”

Her panicked expression tore at his heart. “I am not going anywhere, honey. I’ll leave the door open a little so you can still see me, okay?”

With a tiny little sigh, she nodded. “Okay.”

“Is something wrong, Oliver?” Lisa asked once they were out in the hall. Diggle had gone for a short break so it was empty.

“No, well, I don’t know. This attachment that she seems to be developing for Miss Smoak. Is it healthy? Should I be worried?”

“I don’t think so, not right now at least. Do you know this woman well?”

“No, not really. She works at my company but I’ve only ever met her once before last night.”

Lisa nodded. “It’s natural for Tessa to form some sort of attachment to the woman who prevented her abduction. Right now, all she knows is she’s scared and this woman saved her. Not to mention, she saw her get hurt and she wants to be sure that she’s okay. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. In fact, it may help her to process the trauma a little better. I know I said I was concerned about the psychological aspects yesterday, but she seems to be doing well in that area so far.”

Oliver crossed his arms and looked through the crack in the door. Tessa was busying herself with the playing cards again. “Okay, that’s a relief.”

“But if you’re concerned, I can arrange for her to see a psychologist.”

“Do you think she needs to see one?”

Lisa peered into the room. “Not at the moment, but if that changes, I will arrange an appointment for you. She’s a strong little girl, Oliver, and she has a fantastic support system within your family. That will help her in the coming weeks.”

Oliver scrubbed at his tired eyes with the heels of his palms. “I’m just worried about her; I don’t really have any experience with this kind of thing.”

Lisa smiled reassuringly. “Not many parents do, I’m afraid. The best thing you can do is to make sure that she gets lots of rest and try to keep her routine as normal as possible.”

“Okay. But I’m keeping her out of school until we catch whoever did this.”

“Yes, I think that’s probably wise. I’ll go and arrange her discharge papers and make that phone call. I’ll also give you a list of signs and symptoms to keep an eye out for. I don’t think she’ll have any problems, but if you’re concerned, don’t hesitate to bring her back and I’ll see her straightaway.”

Oliver held a hand out for her to shake. “Thank you, Lisa.”

“My pleasure, Oliver.”

* * *

Felicity huffed out a sigh as she tried to get comfortable without pulling at her stitches. The nurses had moved her to the surgical ward an hour ago and so far, she was not loving it. The bed felt different, not uncomfortable exactly, but different from the one in the ICU. Although she was glad that they had moved her. Being in that room and on display made her nervous. She felt like she was being watched all the time. Which, she supposed, was normal for an intensive care unit. But still, it was a little eerie.

She’d tried to watch TV, but her mind couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that her purse, with her very important cell phone in it, was still missing. Her glasses were there but apparently, her purse hadn’t come in with her last night. _So, where is it?_

A nurse appeared at the door and Felicity mentally prepared herself for another round of poking and prodding. Her wound was beginning to hurt more since she’d been moved around, and her morphine drip had already cut her off because apparently, she’d been pressing the button too often.

“Miss Smoak? You have a visitor, but since he’s not a relative I need to ask for your consent. Hospital policy.”

“Who is it?” she asked, hoping that it might be Oliver again. She had no idea what she would say to him but she could really use a friendly face right now.

“Mr Queen. He says he’s your employer?”

A mixture of apprehension and happiness washed through her. “He is. It’s okay, he can come in.”

The nurse nodded and disappeared out the door, and Felicity used the brief interlude to her advantage. She fussed with her hair, making sure that it didn’t resemble a rat’s nest, and made sure her blanket was covering her. Then, she felt foolish. _You’re in a hospital bed, you’re not going to look like a model_.

She sensed him standing in the doorway before she saw him. But when she did look over, her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t been wrong; he was very handsome. But he looked tired, his expression so serious, and for a moment she thought he could see right into her soul with those piercing blue eyes.

A gentle smile graced his lips. “Miss Smoak? Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.”

 _Oh, wow. That voice._ It was so… soft and smooth. Okay, she really needed to stop ogling him and actually reply. “Um…I know who you are, Mr Queen.”

“Please, call me Oliver.” He stepped inside a little further but made no move to sit.

“Okay, then call me Felicity.” She looked around the room and pointed to a chair. “You can sit… if you want to.”

Oliver seemed to be studying her when she looked back at him, and she heard him murmur something that sounded like ‘very blue’, and then he shook his head as if catching himself. He walked forward until he was standing at her bedside. “How are you?”

“I’ve been better.” His eyes flickered and she saw a flash of what she thought might be guilt. “But I’m okay. Considering the alternative, I’m actually pretty good.”

“I’m glad.” He drew in a deep breath. Those eyes still locked on her. “I’m sorry you got hurt last night. But I am so grateful for what you did.”

“It was nothing, really.” _Well, getting stabbed wasn’t nothing._

“Not many people would’ve done what you did, Felicity.” Her name, coming from his lips, had never sounded sweeter, she thought. _Stop it!_

“I’m sure that’s not true, Mr—Oliver. I mean, I hope it’s not. How is your little girl? I hope she wasn’t too badly hurt?”

“No, she’s fine thanks to you. I’m taking her home now, but I wanted to come and see you first.”

 _Calm down, he probably means it in an employer/employee way._ “That’s very nice of you. Where _is_ your daughter?”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. “She’s out in the hall with our bodyguard. I don’t want to bombard you with visitors when you’re resting… but she really wants to see you.”

Felicity frowned. “Me? Why would she want to see me?”

“She’s been very worried about you. She’s been asking me all day if she can come and visit you. Would that be okay?”

Felicity wondered why he looked nervous about her answer. What did he think, that she would turn the kid away? “Of course, I’d love to see her. I’ve been worrying about her too. She hit her head pretty hard, I didn’t know at the time but—”

Oliver’s hand suddenly clasped over hers and she felt a spark sizzle all the way up her arm. _Whoa_.

He let go, as if he’d felt it too, then cleared his throat. “You aren’t responsible for her injury, Felicity. Please, don’t blame yourself for that. Because of you, I still have my baby.”

She pressed her lips together and willed the heat in her cheeks to go away before he saw her blush. “Then I would love to see her. Bring her in.”

If she’d thought his half-smile was cute, she hadn’t been prepared for the full smile that lit up his face. A smiling Oliver Queen was a dangerous thing, she thought. When he disappeared into the hall, she threw her head back onto her pillow, scrunching her eyes shut. _Keep it together._

He reappeared a second later holding the hand of a little girl who looked nervous too. “Hi, you must be Tessa.”

She saw Oliver’s eyes widen for a split second and she shrugged. “I remember from last night.”

Tessa just stared for a few minutes, making Felicity feel a little self-conscious because the room was so quiet. But just as she was about to break the silence, Tessa let go of her father’s hand and took a few steps into the room.

“Hi, Flicity.” _Oh, she is adorable_ , Felicity thought. Her dark blonde hair was a mess of curls and the lump on her head was still fairly large. But her eyes, so blue, were her father’s eyes.

“Hey there. How’s your head feeling?”

Tessa gingerly touched the lump on her forehead. “Dr Lisa says I have a ‘cushion. She took some pictures of my brain too.”

Felicity almost melted at her pronunciation. “And is it still in there?”

Tessa giggled, a little unsure at first, but slowly she was creeping closer to her bed. “Yes, she showed me pictures. They were awesome.”

“I’ll bet they were. So, I hear you’re going home now.”

“Yes.” Tessa’s smile faded as tears welled in her eyes. “Did the doctors fix you, Flicity?”

Felicity glanced up at Oliver, who was looking at his daughter with concern. “Yes, Tessa. They fixed me. I’m okay.”

She sniffled, and Felicity just wanted to hug her. “That’s good. I got scared because the bad man hurt you. There was lots of blood and you were cold.”

Felicity flinched at the memory and then she felt an entirely different emotion when Tessa crept up and laid her tiny hand over hers.

“But you saved me. You didn’t let him take me.”

She turned her hand over so that she could grasp Tessa’s and give it a little squeeze. “You were scared, I had to help you. But you know what?”

“What?” she asked, her attention solely focused on Felicity.

“You were very brave last night. I’m sorry that you hit your head though.”

Tessa leaned against the bed; her grip now tight on Felicity’s hand. “It’s okay. Dr Lisa says it will get better soon. Right, Daddy?”

Felicity didn’t dare look up, but she felt the heat from Oliver’s stare before he blinked and looked down at Tessa. “Hmm? Oh, yes, honey. You just need to rest and you’ll be back to normal in no time.”

Tessa nodded; her little expression serious. “Are you going home too, Flicity?”

“Uh, not just yet. I still have some healing to do.” When Tessa grew more concerned, Felicity patted her hand. “But I’m fine, I promise. Do you know what surgery is?”

“Uh-huh,” she said with a nod. “It’s where they do…things to fix you inside.”

“Well, aren’t you smart? How old are you?”

“I’m five and a half.”

Felicity didn’t doubt for a second that she was smart, but she didn’t think Tessa knew all that much about surgery. So, she chose her answer carefully. “Well, I had to have a little surgery last night to fix my tummy.”

Tessa frowned. “Because the bad man hurt your tummy.”

How much had she seen last night? Felicity wondered. “Yes, he did. And it might take a little longer to heal than your head, but it will heal. Then I will be back to normal too.”

“Just like me?”

“Yeah, just like you.”

“Good. I don’t want you to be hurt anymore. You’re a nice lady.”

“Oh, thank you. You’re a very sweet little girl, Tessa Queen.”

Tessa smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes and Felicity wondered how long it would take a child to completely heal from this kind of trauma. She was clearly still scared and that made Felicity’s heart ache. Unfortunately, there was no protecting her from that, and even if there was, it was not her place to do so.

“Hey, Tess?” Oliver crouched down next to her. “Can you go and wait outside with Diggle, please? I just want to talk to Felicity, and then we’ll go home.”

Tessa shook her head and gripped Felicity’s hand a little tighter. “No, Daddy. I want to stay here. With Flicity.”

He reached up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. “I know you do, baby. But you need to rest, and so does Felicity.”

“I’ll be good, I promise. Please, can I stay?”

 _I don’t mind the company,_ Felicity thought. But Oliver was right and she could see the panic beginning to rise in Tessa.

“Tessa?” She waited until the little girl looked at her, then squeezed her hand. “Your dad’s right, we both need our rest. A smart girl like you needs to let her brain recover. Our brains are very important for us.”

“But…” she sniffled. “Can I come to see you again?”

“Of course! I would like that.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Tess,” Oliver warned. Felicity gave him a small nod.

“If it’s okay with your dad, it’s fine with me.”

Tessa’s head whipped around to Oliver. “Is it okay, Daddy?”

Oliver smiled. “Yes, it’s okay. We’ll come back tomorrow, but only if you’re feeling up to it.”

Tessa threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Thank you!”

“Okay, now go to Diggle, please.”

Felicity almost giggled when Tessa leaned over and patted her hand. “See you tomorrow, Flicity.”

“Bye!” she called after her.

Oliver, still crouched down, looked up at her and shook his head with a chuckle. “That girl is just like her aunt. So headstrong.”

“Aw, I think she’s sweet.”

Instead of getting up, Oliver stayed where he was, and her heart leapt up into her throat when his large, warm hand covered hers. She hadn’t imagined it the first time, there was definitely a spark there. But this time, he didn’t pull away.

“Thank you so much, Felicity. I… I have no words.”

“You really don’t have to thank me, Oliver. I did what needed to be done.”

“Tell me the truth, are you really okay?”

She thought about telling him a half-truth just because he seemed to feel so guilty that she’d gotten hurt. But when she looked into his eyes, she knew she couldn’t. “I am okay. Or I will be, at least. The knife hit my liver.”

He flinched, but she shook her head to stop him jumping to conclusions. “It’s a very small wound. The doctor said it didn’t penetrate the liver so he was able to fix it easily. Other than that, he thinks I might be able to go home in a few days.”

She’d hoped that the information would’ve erased his frown and she had to stop herself from smoothing it away with her fingers.

“Is there anyone I can call for you? Any family in the area?”

“No,” she said, a little too suddenly. “I live alone and my mother lives in Vegas. I don’t have any other family.”

Oliver looked confused. “But she’d want to know about this, maybe come take care of you.”

“Honestly, Oliver, I’m fine. I can take care of myself.” Slowly, she pulled her hand away from his and he stood up.

“Okay.” He clearly didn’t understand but he backed off anyway. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do for you?”

She tried to lighten the mood. “Well, since you’re my boss, I think it’s only fair I let you know that I’m calling in sick for a couple of weeks.”

But Oliver didn’t smile. “You don’t need to worry about work. Everything is taken care of.”

 _What does he mean by ‘everything’?_ “Oh, well, thank you.”

“You just focus on resting and getting better.” He breathed in and then out again slowly, those eyes once again locked on hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Felicity Smoak.”

When he got to the door, he raised his hand in a tiny wave and disappeared. Felicity felt… odd. When the nurse had told her he’d visited last night, she’d just assumed that he was checking up on her because of the attack. But now, she was confused.

He was her boss, it was great that he was concerned about his staff, but she couldn’t help but think that there was a little more going on. Something she couldn’t make out.

“Miss Smoak?”

Felicity glanced up to see the nurse at her door again.

“There’s a Detective Lance here to see you. He needs to ask you some questions if you feel up to it. I can tell him to come back later if you’re tired.”

She sighed. _Might as well get this over with._ “No, it’s okay, let him in.”

_**To Be Continued...** _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susan tries to get more information out of Oliver, but he has other things on his mind. Meanwhile, a visit to Felicity yields some surprising results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I said I was updating yesterday, but here's the thing. This lockdown has seriously muddled my brain and I totally forgot what day of the week it was. I thought it was Friday. :D  
> So this update is coming a day late but next weeks will be posted on Saturday as usual.
> 
> Also, thank you all for your lovely comments, they truly do make my day and feed my muse. You guys come up with the most intuitive comments. I don't have the time to reply to you all but just know that I love you all. Thanks again.
> 
> You can also follow me on Twitter if you wish. Thanks everyone :D

“No!”

Oliver’s head shot up when he heard the pained scream coming from the other side of his bed. Curled into a little ball next to him, Tessa’s face scrunched up and her eyes darted back and forth beneath her lids.

“Tess?” he said softly, knowing he shouldn’t wake her too fast. “Baby, it’s okay. Daddy’s right here. Wake up.”

“No, let go!”

He backed off a little, his heart shattering with every scream she let out. “Ssh, Tess, you’re okay. You’re at home and safe.”

Slowly one eye opened, then the other, and tears starting pouring down her face. She lunged towards him, burying herself into his embrace. “Don’t let him take me again, Daddy. Please, don’t let him take me.”

Oliver released a shaky breath as he wrapped her up tightly, effectively shielding her body as he curled himself around her. “He’s not here, baby, I swear. It’s just a bad dream.”

His chest hurt as she shuddered against him. He’d known this was coming and he thought he’d been prepared but seeing her like this… it killed him. He didn’t know what to do to help her.

“Ssh, it’s just a bad dream, just a dream. It can’t hurt you, I promise,” he whispered into her ear. He kept on whispering it until her trembling started to subside, and little by little, she calmed down. He didn’t know how long it took, but her breathing started to return to normal and she let out a little tired sigh.

“I’m scared, Daddy.”

“I know, it’s okay to be scared, honey. I am, too.” He raised himself up onto his elbow so that he could see her face. “I will _never_ let anyone or anything hurt you, Tess, you’re my baby girl. I love you so much, you know that, right?”

“I know. I love you, too,” she whispered, scratching her fingers through his stubble. Ever since she was a baby, she’d always done that, like it calmed her. “But why are you scared, Daddy?”

“I’m scared because you’re scared,” he replied. _I’m scared of losing you. I’m scared that someone will take you away from me and hurt you. I’m terrified._

“It’s okay, Daddy. I’m here.” A tear ran down his cheek and she wiped it away. “Don’t be sad. I don’t like it when you’re sad.”

He struggled to find his voice. “I’m not sad, honey. I just… you’re just the sweetest little girl I’ve ever met.” _How did I get so lucky?_

Through the haze of tears, he saw a smile start to form and he finally let himself relax. He checked the time, it was seven-thirty, and it was beginning to get light outside. They’d both slept a lot longer than he’d thought they would.

“So, it’s still early, do you want to go back to sleep? Or do you want some breakfast instead?”

“Pancakes?” she asked, a little brighter.

“If you want pancakes, I will make you pancakes.”

Her messy curls bounced as she nodded. “Yes, please.”

He chuckled and threw the duvet off of him so he could get out of bed, holding a hand out to his daughter like Prince Charming. “Then let’s go to the kitchen, my lady.”

“Can I have whipped cream on mine, please?”

Scooping her up, Oliver nuzzled her cheek, his stubble making her giggle, before placing her down on a stool next to the breakfast bar in the kitchen. “Coming right up.”

By the time she’d finished her second pancake, Oliver had washed up and was sitting at the bar next to her, watching her with a smile as she started on her third. “How are they?”

Tessa gave him a thumbs-up as she put another forkful into her mouth. “Mmm.”

He picked up his fork to start on his own but a knock on the door interrupted him. Tessa froze mid-chew, looking up at him. “Finish your breakfast, honey. I’ll be right back.”

Oliver walked down the hall and opened the door, expecting to see Perry since he was on guard duty last night, but it wasn’t him. “Hi,” he said in surprise.

Susan looked sheepish as she raked a hand through her dark hair. “Hi. Your doorman let me up, I hope that’s okay.”

“I gave him your name a couple of weeks ago so he knows you’re allowed up.”

They stared at each other for a few minutes until the uncomfortable silence became too much for her. “Can I uh… can I come in?”

He stood to the side and nodded, waiting until she was in the hallway before closing the door. “You didn’t come yesterday.”

“I know, I’m so sorry, Oliver. But things at the Star were so hectic, I didn’t get a chance.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “You could’ve called.”

He’d been waiting for her to show up when she’d finished work, but when she didn’t, he at least thought he would’ve heard from her. But the day passed and he hadn’t heard a word.

“I know and I’m sorry that I didn’t. I was trying to follow some leads and time got away from me.” She stepped closer and placed her hands on his chest. “Believe me, I didn’t plan on it.”

His fingers twitched, wanting to hold her hands but he kept them firmly at his sides. “Was the article planned, too?”

Something in her eyes shifted, something he couldn’t decipher and wasn’t sure that he liked. “No, it wasn’t planned. I was just trying to help you.”

He’d told Thea the same thing. But now, he wasn’t so sure. “Is that why you left me on Saturday night?”

“No, I told you the truth, I had an early meeting yesterday morning. After I left the hospital, my editor called and asked me to get an exclusive with you. You had enough to deal with so I just wrote it myself. I thought I was helping, I swear.”

“I needed you there,” he said.

“I know. Oliver, I am really sorry, but you knew how busy my job was when we got together.”

He wanted to believe her, and the article had been written well and it did respect his privacy. Or maybe he just didn’t want to believe that she would do something like that to him. She seemed genuinely sorry, though, so he brought one hand up to cover hers and she smiled in relief. “You should’ve asked me first. But… I guess it did help get the vultures off my back for one night.”

She pressed her lips to his in a brief kiss and sighed. “Thank you for understanding. And yes, I should’ve asked you but I really didn’t want to put any more on you the other night. Now if only I could get Thea to understand that.”

Oliver frowned. “Why? What happened with Thea?”

“Oh, it was nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Susan, tell me what happened.”

Susan let go of his hand and stepped back. “She came to see me yesterday lunchtime, and she was not happy.”

 _Dammit, Speedy_. “What did she say?”

“Well, she accused me of using you to further my career. Gotta say, that one stung a little. And then she basically threatened that if I ever wrote another article about your family, she would…”

“She would what?” he asked, his irritation growing.

“She left that part out but I assume it was nothing good. I handled it, Oliver. Don’t worry about it.”

He settled his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. “I’ll talk to her. She’s been on edge since the other night and when she saw your article she just flipped. But I’ll make sure she understands.”

She nodded and gave him a small smile. “How’s Tessa today?”

“In the kitchen polishing off her third pancake.”

Linking their fingers together, Oliver led her through to the kitchen. “Tess, look who’s here.”

Tessa glanced up from her plate and saw Susan but she didn’t smile. “Oh, hi, Susan.”

Oliver frowned. “What’s wrong, honey?”

Tessa shrugged. “Nothing. Can I go watch TV in my room, Daddy? I have a headache.”

“Uh, sure, I guess. But only half an hour, okay? You’re supposed to be resting.”

She hopped down off her stool, nodding as she walked out of the kitchen. Susan sat down, placing her purse on the bar. “Well, I guess there’s more than one Queen who doesn’t like me right now.”

She’d said it with a light tone but it bothered Oliver that she thought that. “Hey, don’t say that, she does like you. She’s just a little out of sorts right now.”

“That’s understandable under the circumstances. Have you heard any more from Detective Lance?”

“No, not yet. I’m going to call him later. Do you want some coffee? Or breakfast?”

“No, I can’t stay, I’m afraid.” She stood up and walked around the bar to wrap her arms around his waist. “I just didn’t want to start another day without seeing you first. I am sorry about yesterday.”

He leaned down to kiss her softly. “It’s okay. Will I be seeing you later?”

Her expression gave him her answer before she opened her mouth. “I’ll try. I don’t like it either but this is a busy week for me.”

Shoving his disappointment down, he nodded. She was right. He had gone into this relationship knowing that her time was sometimes in short supply, as was his. Running Queen Consolidated and making sure that he was spending as much time as possible with Tessa didn’t leave a lot of spare time. But somehow, they made it work.

“Well, if I don’t see you, can you at least call me?”

“I will. Are you staying in tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m going to take Tessa to see Felicity later, but after that, we’re coming straight home. She’s better off here until they catch whoever did this.”

“She’s really taken a shine to this woman, hasn’t she?”

“Well, she did save her. Right now, I think it’s her way of dealing with it all.”

“Do you think that’s wise, though? I mean, how much do you really know about this woman?”

Oliver frowned at her. “I owe her a lot, Susan. Besides, this is for Tessa, not me.”

“But, if you don’t know her, how do you know that she wasn’t part of their plan?” She asked, giving him a look that said ‘don’t shoot the messenger’. “Her appearance in that alley was certainly well-timed, don’t you think?”

He’d been through all those thoughts, but he just didn’t believe that Felicity was involved. “If she _was_ a part of it, it was poorly executed. First of all, she was stabbed, second of all, how does it help them for her to be left behind? I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, for now, Susan.”

Susan shook her head. “Fair enough. I just want you to be careful, that’s all. So, you’re not staying at the mansion. I thought your mother would’ve insisted.”

Grateful for the change of topic, Oliver wrapped his arms around her. “She did, but I want Tessa in her own home. She needs to have some stability while all this is going on. She’s scared enough.”

Susan patted his chest. “I’m sure the police will find these guys sooner than you think, Oliver. Try not to worry. I’ll call you later, okay?”

He accepted her kiss and watched as she grabbed her purse. “Yeah, okay.”

After she was gone, Oliver walked down the hall to Tessa’s room but when he peeked inside, she was fast asleep on her bed. Both Lisa and the list she’d given him had told him that it was normal for her to be sleepy while she recovered, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Quietly, he closed the door and headed towards his home office at the other end of the hall. Leaving the door open so that he could hear Tessa if she woke, he sat down at his computer and started checking his e-mails. Several were from reporters still trying to get his attention. He pursed his lips in anger and deleted them all. He needed to get a new e-mail address.

There were a few messages from Claire, his executive assistant, with updates on what was happening at the company. He replied to those and then logged off. His mother had offered to step in as interim CEO for the time being while he took some time off to be with Tessa, so that was one less thing for him to worry about.

He leaned back in his chair and linked his fingers together on the back of his neck. He closed his eyes for a few moments, trying not to let the events of the other night replay in his head. It had been on a loop all day yesterday. But in the silence, it was hard to keep those thoughts at bay.

The door to his apartment opened and two seconds later he heard Diggle’s voice. “Knock knock!”

Oliver met him in the living room. “Shift change?” he asked as Diggle took a seat on the sofa.

“Yeah, I’m here for the day. I know I don’t need to remind you that your door should always be locked.”

“Susan had only just left, and no, I don’t need reminding.” Oliver sat down in the chair opposite and blinked when Diggle threw a folder down onto the coffee table between them. “What’s this?”

“The background check you asked for.”

 _Felicity_. He’d felt odd asking Diggle to run a check on her, especially after seeing her yesterday. She’d seemed genuine and… lovely, and though he didn’t want to admit it, he knew that she’d felt the same electricity when he’d touched her hand. That had been a surprise, and up until now, he’d managed to convince himself that he had imagined it because it wasn’t fair to Susan.

But until he knew Felicity a little better, it would be foolish to trust her a hundred percent. “Thanks. What did you find?”

“Not much more than you already know. She’s never been in trouble with the law, not so much as a parking ticket. She moved to Starling six months ago, around the same time she started working at QC. Her I.Q is off the charts, man.”

Oliver scanned the page, and again her picture caught his eye. This one was different from the one in her personnel file, but there was something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Going further down the page, he looked at her I.Q and whistled. “170. Wow, that’s genius level.”

“No kidding.” Diggle nodded. “I wasn’t able to find out much about her family other than her mother’s name is Donna and her father died a few years ago. She doesn’t have any siblings either.”

Oliver frowned. “I asked her about family yesterday and she pretty much shut me down. So, I get the feeling there’s bad blood there.”

“You want my honest opinion?”

Oliver looked up at his friend. “Sure.”

“I think she’s legit. I mean, she put herself in harm’s way to protect a stranger, that earns her some points. But I don’t know, man, I overheard some of your conversation with her yesterday and I just can’t imagine that she could be involved in this. It doesn’t add up. If the goal was to kidnap Tessa for ransom or any other reason, why would she interfere with that?”

Oliver was relieved that he saw it too. “I thought the same thing. But I had to be sure.”

“You going to see her today?”

“Tessa wants to and I did say I would take her.” _Be honest, you want to see her too._

“Well, let me know when you want to go and I’ll take you both.” Diggle stood up and headed for the door.

“I will,” he replied distractedly as he read through Felicity’s file. “Thanks, Digg.”

* * *

“So, which one is Hilda?” Oliver asked again, making Tessa sigh. She paused the cartoon they were watching and turned to face him on the sofa.

“Daddy, you gotta pay attention. Hilda is the one with black hair. She’s a witch and only uses her powers for good. But nobody knows that she has powers.”

“Right, sorry,” he replied with mock seriousness. “Please, continue.”

Tessa snuggled down again and pressed play, but when his cell phone started ringing, she groaned. “Daddy!”

Oliver chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Sorry, honey. I’ll go to the kitchen and answer it. You keep watching.”

He set the phone on speaker and placed it on the bar while he poured out two glasses of orange juice. “Hello?”

“Oliver, it’s Lance,” he said as if Oliver couldn’t tell by the bark alone. “You got a minute to talk?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“My tech guy was able to find the van on the traffic cameras. It took longer cos they switched the plates.”

Oliver’s heart sped up. “Did you get a location?”

“No,” he said, bitter disappointment in his tone. “Not yet anyway. He lost track of it somewhere in the Glades. Street cameras are a little harder to track there because there aren’t that many of them.”

The Glades was the bad part of Starling City, or so Oliver had been raised to believe. His father had once owned a warehouse there but he’d closed it down years ago and a lot of people had lost their jobs. As a result, the Queens were not very popular in the Glades, no matter how hard Oliver had tried to rectify it.

“So, what now?”

“We’ll keep looking. I also interviewed Miss Smoak yesterday. She gave us a little more than you did but not much.”

 _Oh?_ “What?”

“She didn’t see the guy’s face but she did see a tattoo on his neck. I got a police artist to do a sketch with her this morning to see if we can trace him that way.”

“But there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to.”

“We’ve done it before. One other thing, I need to ask again, who knew that you’d given Mr Diggle the day off?”

“Just my family, I told you that yesterday. I told them if they needed me that I’d be at the zoo. I thought we’d be safe there with lots of people around. Clearly, I was wrong.” They’d been safe enough at the zoo, sure, but later? That was entirely on him. He should’ve known better.

“People sometimes forget important details when they’ve just been through a trauma. I’m asking again just to be sure that we didn’t miss anything vital, that’s all. Miss Williams was with you, correct?”

“Yes, you already knew that. Why?” Oliver didn’t like where this was heading.

“I’m just trying to put the pieces together. Those kidnappers knew that you were at that ice cream parlour at that particular time.”

“Do you think they followed me there?”

Lance huffed. “That seems to be the most likely scenario. But it’s possible that someone could’ve tipped them off as well.”

 _Does he think Susan had something to do with this?_ “Well, it wasn’t Susan. She had only used her cell once that day and that was to check in at her office. I heard her talking to her boss.”

“I’m not implying anything here, but I will need to corroborate that. At this point, it’s a process of elimination.”

Oliver’s frustration was reaching boiling point. “We have to find these guys now, Lance! What if they try again?”

“We will.” Lance’s tone suggested that Oliver should back off. “But in the meantime, you have extra security, Mr Diggle has been liaising with us on that. They won’t get near your daughter again.”

Oliver shook his head, taking a moment to reign in his temper before speaking.

“Look, Queen, I know we don’t exactly have the best history, but trust me when I say that I am doing everything in my power to find out who did this.”

“I do know that, Quentin, and I appreciate it. I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“Yeah, I know. I’m a father too, remember. I’ll call you when I have more information.”

“Okay, thanks.”

* * *

Felicity looked up and grimaced as her nurse stepped into the room. “Leah, please tell me you’re not here for more blood because I actually think I’m all tapped out.”

“No, not today.” Leah’s expression was one of concern and as she moved into the room, Felicity saw who was standing behind her.

“Detective Lance, what uh… what can I do for you?”

He took a seat next to her bed. “Miss Smoak, I’m sorry to come unannounced but there’s a been a development that you should be aware of.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re not here to tell me that you caught the men responsible?”

“Because I’m not,” he replied, trying to soften the blow with a smile. “One of the nurses called in earlier with a report about a loiterer here in the hospital. He was wandering the hallway outside your room. Apparently, he looked agitated, wandering back and forth. The nurse asked if she could help him but he took off. She got suspicious and called us.”

Felicity’s blood ran ice cold. It was the man who’d stabbed her. It had to be. “So, he was here for me.”

“It seems that way, yeah. I’m sorry. We managed to get an image off the security cameras but he was wearing a black hoodie so it’s hard to see his face.” He passed a grainy photo to her and she took it, willing her hand not to shake.

“It’s only a side profile.” All she could see was a nose and some black hair poking out from under the hoodie. But he was standing right outside her room and the realisation of how close he’d been made her shiver. If he’d gone in, she would probably be dead right now. So, the question was… why didn’t he? What held him back?

“It’s the only clear image we could get. But… he fits the description of the kidnapper and your attacker.”

Felicity stared at the photo. She didn’t need a clearer picture to know that it was him. She could feel it somehow, and her heart started pumping painfully in her chest. _He’s coming for me_. “So, um… I guess this means that he plans to finish what he started. Bold move though, in a hospital.”

Lance reached out to squeeze her shoulder in support but his expression was fierce. “He won’t get the chance. I’ve got my guys looking for prints in the hallway—”

“You’re not likely to find them though, are you.” It wasn’t a question, it was a fact. She’d seen enough crime shows to know that in a public place like this it would be impossible to find them. “Even if you did you probably wouldn’t be able to match them unless he’s in the system.”

Lance smiled softly. “Let’s leave the detective work to the actual detective, Miss Smoak. I’m going to post an officer at your door for the time being so you’ll be safe.”

“And what about when I go home?” she asked, swallowing hard against the fear that was threatening to choke her.

“Same deal, I’m not going to leave you unprotected, don’t worry. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, alright?”

It wasn’t like she had much of a choice, was it. “I guess so.” But then another horrible thought occurred to her. “If he’s after me, that means that he’s going to try again with Tessa Queen, doesn’t it?”

Lance gently pulled the photo from her grasp and stood up; his face grim. “I hope not, Miss Smoak, but we can’t take any chances from here on out. With Miss Queen, or with you.”

Felicity nodded, his grim but determined expression actually making her feel a little better. He was dead set on catching this guy.

She just had to have faith that Lance would catch him before he found her.

* * *

“Tessa, are you ready?” Oliver called from the kitchen. He was putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher when she stormed into the kitchen with an angry pout.

“I can’t find my shoe, Daddy.”

He glanced at the clock, visiting hours had started half an hour ago. “Well, where did you take them off?”

She looked at him with exasperation. “I don’t remember.”

“Okay, we’ll look for it later, honey. Just choose another pair and wear those.”

“But… I wanted to show Flicity my Ariel ones.”

Her moods had been up and down all day. One minute she was happy and laughing, and the next she’d be all grumpy and tired. He’d been reading some articles online to try and help him understand the reactions of trauma so that he could be prepared for them. But he didn’t know how much of her behaviour was because of the trauma or because of the concussion. “Well, you can show her tomorrow. We have to go now, honey. We don’t want to hit traffic and miss seeing her at all.”

Tessa’s eyes widened slightly and then she just pouted sadly. “Okay.”

She went back to her bedroom to find another pair while he grabbed her jacket from the hallway. He was just shrugging into his when he saw it. “Tess, I found it!”

She appeared at the doorway; her face excited when he pulled her shoe out from under the sofa. “Yay thanks, Daddy!”

Oliver simply shook his head and chuckled as she finished fastening the Velcro strap. “Okay, let’s go. Digg’s waiting outside in the car.”

Diggle was actually waiting at the side of the car, ready to sweep Tessa into his arms as she bolted towards him. “Hey, little miss.”

“Hi, Digg. I got my Ariel shoes on to show Flicity.”

“So, I see.” Oliver saw him glance briefly at the lump on her head, then smile broadly at her. “Ready to go?”

She nodded emphatically. “Uh-huh.”

Oliver climbed into the back of the car as Diggle buckled Tessa into her child seat. “Actually, Digg, we need to make one stop on the way.”

Tessa frowned. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere, honey. I just need to get something before we go see Felicity. It’ll be a quick stop, I promise.”

By the time they’d reached the hospital, the sun was starting to set, and Oliver couldn’t believe that two days had passed since he’d first brought Tessa in here. _Two days and still no real leads._

Diggle pulled into the same underground parking garage and parked in a space next to the elevator. Oliver saw his eyes flick briefly down to the flowers lying on the seat next to him as well as his lips twitching in amusement.

He didn’t say a word until they were past the nurses’ station. “So… flowers huh?”

Oliver side-eyed him. “It’s usually what people bring when they visit someone in the hospital, Digg.”

“Oh, _I_ know that. I just didn’t peg you for a flowers type of guy.”

Whatever answer Oliver had died on his lips when he saw the officer standing outside of Felicity’s room. And judging by the way Tessa’s hand tightened its grip on his, she’d seen him too. What had happened? Was Felicity okay?

When they got closer, the officer held out a hand to stop them. “Name?”

“Oliver Queen, this is my daughter, Tessa, and my Head of Security, John Diggle.”

The officer nodded. “Detective Lance gave me your name. Go on in.”

“What happened? Why are you standing guard outside Miss Smoak’s room?”

“I can’t tell you that, Sir.”

Frustrated, Oliver opened his mouth to ask again but felt Diggle’s hand land on his shoulder. He looked up as Diggle gave him a barely perceptible nod. He’d get the information, Oliver knew.

“Okay, thanks, I guess.”

He quietly knocked on the door and waited for Felicity to answer before stepping inside. She looked better, he thought. There was more colour in her face and she seemed a lot brighter. But even as she smiled, he could see something in her eyes, something that hadn’t been there the last time he’d seen her.

“Hey, Tessa. Mr Queen, hello.” Oliver raised his eyebrows and she lowered her gaze. “I mean, Oliver.”

“Hi, Flicity!” Tessa said, walking right up to her bed. “Are you feeling better?”

Felicity chuckled. “I am, thank you. How about you?”

Tessa shrugged and pulled herself up into a chair. “I’m okay. Look, I put my Ariel shoes on. Do you like them?”

“Wow, they’re cool. You gotta love the Little Mermaid, huh?”

As Tessa started in on one of her Disney rambles, Felicity’s eyes flicked over to him, and Oliver realised that he was just standing there awkwardly holding the flowers in his hands.

“Who’s your favourite Princess, Flicity?”

Felicity blinked and looked back to Tessa, and Oliver saw the most adorable red tint appear in her cheeks as if she’d been caught out. “Oh, uh… Rapunzel, for sure.”

Tessa nodded, swinging her legs back and forth. “Yeah, her hair is _so_ pretty. Yours is pretty too.”

“Thank you. Although it looks a lot better when it’s actually washed, you know.”

Tessa nodded thoughtfully and Oliver took the brief opportunity to butt in. “These are for you. They’re from me, to say thank you.”

Felicity took them from him, inhaling the scent of the dark pink roses. “You already said that yesterday.”

He smiled as he took a seat on the other side of her bed. “Well, I’m saying it again. The woman behind the counter said that dark pink represents gratitude and appreciation. I thought that was perfect.”

She looked impressed with his choice, and Oliver didn’t know why he felt pleased with that. “Well, they’re lovely. Thank you.”

“Daddy got them on the way here,” Tessa said. “He gets flowers for my grandma if she’s mad at him.”

Felicity chuckled as Oliver scowled at his daughter. “Really? Does your daddy make your grandmother angry often?”

“Sometimes. But Aunt Thea gets _real_ mad at him too.”

Oliver winced and decided to change the subject before his daughter deflated his ego even more. “So, how are you, really?”

Felicity pressed her lips together and he could see she was holding her laughter back. “I’m doing better. I’ve been living it up and going for walks down the hallway today.”

“Highlight of the day?” he asked, smiling.

“Exactly. I have never watched so much TV in my life before. Well, I did when I was younger but that was mostly in the casinos my mother took me to.” She blinked a few times as if realising what she’d just said. “That’s a whole other story but it’s not as bad as it sounds, I promise.”

A story, Oliver decided, he would like to hear sometime. “So, not a TV buff then.”

Tessa gasped. “You don’t like TV? I _love_ TV.”

Felicity reached out and patted her hand with a chuckle. “I do, Tessa, just not 24hrs a day. Daytime TV leaves a lot to be desired, but you wouldn’t know anything about that since you’re in school. Right?”

“Yep, I like school, I have lots of friends there.”

“Well, who wouldn’t want to be your friend?” Felicity said, but Tessa’s expression grew fierce.

“Kyle. He doesn’t want to be my friend.”

This was the first Oliver had heard of any Kyle. “Is he mean to you?”

Tessa shrugged. “Sometimes. But Penny tells him off.” Penny was, at least, someone Oliver knew. She was Tessa’s best friend.

“Well, don’t worry about it, Tessa,” Felicity said, holding her hand. “If they don’t want to be your friend, that’s their loss because you are an amazing little girl. Kyle is the one missing out. So, don’t ever feel bad about that, okay?”

Tessa nodded. “Okay. I already have a boy best friend anyway.”

“Oh yeah, what’s his name?” Oliver asked, uncomfortable at the fact that his five-year-old was talking about boys.

Tessa giggled and hopped off her seat to whisper into Felicity’s ear. Oliver narrowed his eyes when Felicity covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes welled up. “What did she say?”

Felicity tilted her head and gave him a warm smile. “She said you. You’re her best friend.”

Oliver’s chest tightened and he felt his heart melt. “Oh, Tess. Well, you know you’re my best friend too, right?”

“Mm-hmm. I know.” She said it so matter-of-factly that Oliver had to laugh. It made every sleepless night, every moment spent worrying about if he was raising her right, worth it.

Felicity laughed too, the sharp movement making her hiss and place a hand on her stomach.

“Are you okay, Flicity?” Tessa asked, looking worried.

“I’m fine, Tessa, I laughed a little too hard, that’s all. Don’t worry, I’m okay.”

“You sure?” Oliver asked, a little worried himself. In all the laughter it was easy to forget that she was recovering from surgery. “Maybe we should go and let you get some rest.”

“No,” both Tessa and Felicity said at the same time.

“I don’t want to go yet, Daddy.”

“Yeah, Oliver it’s okay. I’m enjoying the company. I’m not exactly flushed with visitors in here. Not that I’m telling you to stay, of course, if you want to go then you totally can. I know that Tessa needs to rest. But, I mean, if you want to stay, that’s fine with me.”

Her little ramble caught him off guard and he found himself wanting to stay too. “Okay, we’ll stay. But you let me know when you start to feel tired okay?”

She smiled and nodded and he wondered if she had any friends at all in the city. He knew she didn’t have any family here, but he was surprised that _no one_ had visited her. After the way she shut him down yesterday, he didn’t want to upset her by asking again. 

“So, you work in the IT department,” he said, noticing that Tessa had snuck her hand out to hold Felicity’s. His little girl hated to see anyone hurting or sad. But what struck him most was that Felicity was gently rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb, as if she needed the comfort too.

“Yeah, for six months now.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I feel like this a trick question from my boss.”

“Not at all, in fact, don’t think of me as your boss. I’m just a friend right now.”

She quickly averted her gaze but he was starting to recognise the signs of a blush when they appeared. A slight, pink tinge worked its way up her face before she answered his original question.

“Well, I love working with computers and I love working at QC…”

Oliver smiled. “But it’s not challenging enough for a genius.”

Her eyes widened at his comment. “I didn’t say that. But, how do you—?”

“I took a look at your personnel file when you were brought in the other night. It’s quite impressive. I needed to know if you had a next of kin listed.”

“Oh, I see. Well, okay so it’s not exactly a challenge but I do like the work. Although the city is another matter,” she said, waving a hand around to indicate her current situation. “‘Move to Starling City’, they said. ‘It’ll be fun’, they said. Well, no one actually _said_ that to me, but still.”

 _Nice side-step, Felicity,_ he thought. Again, he wondered what could’ve happened to make her so reluctant to ask for help. Of course, it wasn’t his business and he would respect that. But if he’d learned anything in the past two days, it was that Felicity Smoak was a fiercely independent woman.

“Starling certainly has its highs and lows, just like any other city. But I like to think that the good outweighs the bad.”

“I’ll have to take your word on that because I’ve been here for six months and so far, this is the most exciting thing that’s happened.” She shook her head with a grimace. “And by ‘exciting’ I mean terrifying.”

Oliver glanced over at his daughter. “Yeah, this is a first for me, too.”

“You work for my Daddy?” Tessa asked as if she was just tuning back into the conversation. “I go there sometimes after school. Claire gives me candy, but she’s not s’posed to,” she added the last part in a whisper.

Felicity leaned her head towards Tessa and whispered, “I always keep candy in my desk, too.”

“What kind?”

“Gummy bears, but shh, don’t tell your dad, he might nark on me to my boss.”

Tessa gasped. “Daddy, you wouldn’t!”

Oliver smiled deviously. “Depends on whether Felicity is generous enough to share some of those gummy bears with me.”

She shrugged. “If you happen to find yourself in the IT Department any time soon, swing by my desk. I’ll hook you up with the good stuff.”

Oliver couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped him. “I’ll remember that.”

“It’s okay, Flicity. He won’t tell. Claire gives him candy, too.”

Felicity shook her head with a giggle. “Claire is your executive assistant, right?”

“Yeah, she has a bit of a soft spot for Tessa.”

“Who wouldn’t?” she said reaching out to tousle Tessa’s hair.

To Oliver’s surprise, Tessa just laughed instead of getting huffy and smoothing it back down. _Wow, okay_. Clearly, Tessa had a soft spot for Felicity, too, and Oliver could admit that it wasn’t hard to see why.

Oliver cleared his throat. “So, do you know when you’ll be getting out of here?”

Felicity leaned back against her pillow. “Dr Rose said maybe the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s good, means you’re making progress.”

“Yeah, but another day of that TV and I’m gonna go nuts.” She let out a sigh. “I just miss my laptop, I guess, but at least I have my cell phone back. Detective Lance brought my purse in this morning when he came with that sketch artist.”

An idea popped into his head. “Well, why don’t you give me your number, and then if you need anything you can text me, and I’ll bring it in tomorrow.”

Felicity froze. “Thank you, but you really don’t have to do that.”

He scoffed. “Please, Felicity, it’s the least I can do.”

Her eyes locked onto his and he saw the confusion in them. “You don’t owe me anything, Oliver.”

He couldn’t look away, he knew he should, but he couldn’t. “Yes, I do. But even if I didn’t, I still want to help.”

She hesitated for a moment, but then one corner of her mouth lifted in a shy smile. “Okay, thank you.”

He saw her eyes flit to the TV screen on the wall in the corner of the room. It had been on silent since they’d arrived. But now there was a grainy image of a man on the screen and an appeal for information at the bottom. Her smile faded, she looked afraid, and he didn’t like that.

“Hey, Tess?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to get something from the vending machine to take home?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of dollar bills. “Go ask Digg and he’ll take you.”

“Okay, Daddy.” She hopped off her chair but took a second to pat Felicity’s hand again. “I’ll be back soon.”

“She is so precious, Oliver. You must be very proud of her,” Felicity murmured after Diggle had given him a thumbs up and closed the door behind him.

“Every day I think that I couldn’t possibly love her more or be prouder of her, and every day she proves me wrong.”

“I just can’t get over how smart she is.”

“She gets that from her mother,” he said and even he could hear the hint of anger in his tone.

Felicity blinked. “Is that a bad thing?”

“No, but… it’s complicated. Her mother’s not around anymore.”

Felicity nodded slowly. “I understand complicated. But I think you’re selling yourself short there, Oliver. You’re obviously a smart guy and I see a lot of you in her.”

“Not as smart as you, apparently. 170 I.Q? Really?”

She shrugged proudly, as she should, he thought. “What can I say? I really loved school.”

He chuckled and then reminded himself of what he wanted to talk to her about before he sent Tessa out for snacks. He looked back at the TV screen to see the newscaster talking about something else before he cleared his throat. “The officer at the door, is he there because someone tried to visit you today?”

“Yes.” Her smile fell once again and she tensed up. “He didn’t actually come in the room, Oliver, he just… waited outside.”

“But are you okay?” he asked softly.

“Physically, I guess so. But… if he came here, that means he’s looking to finish what he started.”

That was Oliver’s first thought too. “But you only saw a tattoo, right? No other way to identify him?”

“No, nothing. But obviously he doesn’t want to take any chances. It’s so frustrating because if I had my laptop, I could probably narrow the list of suspects down. Not that I don’t have faith in the police because I do, I just… well, I’m just a little more… efficient when it comes to the internet.”

He didn’t doubt that for a second. “What happens when you get released?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said yourself that you live alone. How are you going to manage when you get out of here?”

She pursed her lips. “I’ll survive. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now.”

“The circumstances are a little different this time, don’t you think?”

“Maybe, but I can manage. I’ll be fine.”

Oliver didn’t like the thought her of her being alone after just having major surgery, much less being alone and scared, and a _target_. “You should stay with me.” Before he knew he’d even opened his mouth, the words were out.

Her eyes grew wide and confused. “Excuse me?”

He didn’t know where that offer had come from, but now that it was out there, he didn’t want to take it back. “I think that you should come and stay at my apartment just for a week or two. Until you’re feeling better.”

She opened her mouth to speak but he quickly jumped in. “You’ll be much safer there; my building has the best security, plus I have Diggle and his security team.”

She looked down at her hands. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your offer, Oliver. It’s just…”

“What?”

She turned her gaze up to him, her eyes once again locking onto his and he felt something pass between them. Some kind of energy. He didn’t exactly know how to feel about it either.

“It’s not exactly appropriate, is it? An employee staying at her boss’ apartment. Especially when we don’t really know that much about each other. The media would have a field day.”

“I’m not worried about them. I’m worried about you. I really don’t think that you should be alone. Not after having surgery and especially not when you might be in danger.”

Her eyes flickered but never wavered from his. “And what about your girlfriend? I’m sure she’d be really happy to find out that you have a random woman staying at your place. I’m sure she’d be _totally_ fine with it.”

He leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “Actually, I think she would. And we both know that Tessa would love having you there.”

Felicity tilted her head. “How do you know that you can trust me, Oliver? How do I know I can trust you? We barely know each other.”

She had a point, but deep down he knew. He just _knew_ that he could trust her. “I don’t believe that you’re a bad person, Felicity. You put your life on the line to protect my daughter. I wouldn’t have brought Tessa here to see you if I thought you were any kind of threat to her. But seeing how you are with her; it tells me that I was right. As for me, I’d like to think that you would trust me but I’m _telling_ you now.” He leaned forward a little more. “You can trust me.”

“Why is this so important to you?” she whispered.

“Because the man that is after you is also after my daughter. I just want to keep you both safe, that’s all.”

He was surprised when she let out a bark of laughter. “This is ridiculous! Are we really having this conversation? I mean, what will people at work say?”

Oliver found himself smiling too. “Felicity, it’s not a marriage proposal. I’m just offering a safe place for you to recover from your injury.”

She pinched her lips together as if she was stopping herself from blurting something out. But he could sense her resolve weakening. “Just for a week?”

“Or two,” he added.

She thought about it for a moment more. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but… okay. On one condition.”

Relieved, Oliver nodded. “Name it.”

“I pay rent.”

He was about to refuse the ridiculous offer but she held up a hand to stop him. “Non-negotiable. I’m not a freeloader, Oliver.”

She was deadly serious. “Okay, fine. But I’m not taking full rate. How about fifty per cent?”

“Eighty,” she countered.

“Sixty.”

“Seventy.”

Oliver sighed. “Sixty, Felicity. I don’t exactly need the money.”

She huffed and pouted, but eventually nodded. “Fine. Sixty per cent.”

He gave her a nod, knowing that he had no intention of taking any money from her. “Thank you.”

“Are you sure Tessa will be okay with this?”

“You’re kidding, right? I’m worried she’ll get so excited she’ll pass out.”

Felicity laughed. “Well, we’ll ask her when she gets back.”

Oliver breathed in deeply, feeling better now. The offer had just jumped out of his mouth before his brain had a chance to think about it. But he didn’t regret it. He owed her a great deal, but more than that, he wanted to keep her safe. It was important to him.

One week or two, until these men were caught or not, either way, Oliver knew he’d made the right decision.

_**To Be Continued...** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity moves in. Susan is furious. Oliver is confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the update didn't happen as planned yesterday. I had some technical issues which have taken me most of today to fix. So here I am on Sunday again. Apologies my dears.
> 
> For future updates, I think I'm going to move them to every Sunday because Saturdays are quite busy for me at the moment. So I'll be posting a new chapter every Sunday instead. 
> 
> Thank you all for your lovely comments and support. I truly do love reading them. Also, if you'd like to follow me on Twitter I tried posting a link in the last chapter notes but it didn't really work. So if you would like to follow me, my username is Loulou26, same as on here.
> 
> Enjoy :)

Oliver stared at Tessa over the breakfast bar as she tucked into her waffles with gusto. Looking at her now, it was hard to believe that an hour before she was cuddled in his arms, shaking like a leaf after another nightmare. He didn’t know how much more he could take of seeing her that scared.

“How are the waffles, sweetie?”

She grinned up at him but the dark circles under her eyes worried him. He didn’t know how long these nightmares would last, or if they would ever stop. But he made a mental note to take her back to see Lisa at the end of the week if there was no improvement.

“They’re _really_ good, Daddy. You can make them for Flicity too.”

“You’re really excited about her staying here, aren’t you, honey?” Her reaction at the hospital last night had told him all he’d needed to know, but he just wanted to double-check that she would be okay with having another person in the apartment all the time.

Her eyes sparkled. “I can’t wait! It’s gonna be fun!”

“Yes, but you have to remember that Felicity still needs to rest, okay? She won’t be able to do a lot just yet.”

Tessa nodded. “I know. I’m gonna look after her cos she looked after me.”

 _Oh, Tess._ He was about to answer when the ringing of his cell phone cut him off.

“Who’s that?” Tessa asked.

“It’s Susan.”

“Oh, her.” Tessa returned her attention to her food and Oliver frowned when she stabbed her fork into her waffle with a little more force than was necessary.

He let out a sigh. “I’ll be right back,” he said, answering the phone on the way to the living room. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself, handsome. How’s it going?”

The background noise of keys clacking on keyboards told him she was calling from the office. “It’s going… okay.”

She chuckled. “You don’t sound so sure.”

He thought about Tessa’s sudden shift in mood as soon as he’d mentioned Susan’s name. _I thought she liked Susan._ “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“And Tessa? How is she?”

“She’s doing well under the circumstances. She’s still sleepy sometimes but the lump on her head has gone down a little more today.”

“Well, that’s good news. So, how did your visit with Felicity go yesterday?”

That reminded him, he needed to tell her about his offer. “It went well, Tessa really likes her.”

“I still don’t think it’s wise for her to get too close to her, Oliver. You barely know this woman.”

 _I know enough_ , he thought. “I uh, I did a background check on Felicity. I’m not worried about her. But I do need to tell you something.”

Susan went quiet for a moment and when she spoke it was in a resigned tone. “Fine. What is it?”

“The guy who… tried to abduct Tessa, the one who stabbed Felicity, he was in the hospital yesterday.”

“What?” she hissed, her tone catching him off guard for a second.

“Yeah, apparently he was caught on a surveillance camera right outside her room.”

“Did he go into her room? Is she okay?” She sounded a little angry, which Oliver found odd considering she didn’t know Felicity and was against Tessa getting too close to her.

“No, he didn’t go in and she’s fine. But the camera didn’t pick anything up that could easily identify him. He was wearing a hoodie and kept his face turned away like he knew exactly where the camera was. Lance is putting it out to the public today though.”

“I see,” she said flatly. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“Uh, no. When I got there, there was a police officer stationed at her door. They’re concerned for her safety, and so am I. Which is why…” he trailed off, unsure of what her reaction was going to be.

“Which is why, what?” she asked, sounding a little calmer now.

“Well, the thing is, she lives alone and I didn’t think that she should when she’s only just had surgery and this guy is clearly after her now.”

“I thought you said she couldn’t identify him.”

“She can’t. At least, not definitively.”

“Then why would he try to hurt her again? That makes no sense.”

“Maybe he wants to be sure that she won’t get the chance to identify him.”

Susan huffed out a breath. “Oliver, stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you want to tell me.”

 _Okay, here goes._ “I asked Felicity to come and stay at my apartment for a couple of weeks.”

She laughed bitterly. “I’m sorry, for a minute there I thought you said you invited this woman into your home.”

“I did,” he replied quietly.

“Oliver,” she said with a tired sigh. “You can’t be serious about this. Have you lost your mind? Seriously, have you?”

Feeling slightly affronted, Oliver clenched his jaw. “No, I thought it through and it’s the right thing to do.”

She scoffed. “Oh, really? Inviting a woman that you don’t even know into your home where you live with a _five_ -year-old is the right thing to do?”

“She’s in danger, Susan. In case you’ve forgotten, this guy stabbed Felicity and tried to kidnap my daughter, and he also has a partner. I’m trying to keep them both safe. My apartment is safer than her townhouse, she’ll be able to rest and recover here without any complications. I owe it to her.”

“I know that you think that, but she did what anyone would do in her position. She’s not a guardian angel, Oliver.”

 _Maybe not, but she’s Tessa’s hero._ “Why are you so against this?”

“Ha! You’re kidding, right? Okay so, explain to me how I’ve been dating you for three months and I can’t spend a single night at your apartment, but a perfect _stranger_ can live there!”

Okay, she might have a point there. But she hadn’t seen the look of fear in Felicity’s eyes. It was hard to see that and not feel anything, or offer some help. “It’s not the same. I’m just doing this to protect her, that’s all.”

“This is ridiculous! What if she’s involved? I know you think you can trust her but if you can’t, are you really willing to risk your daughter’s safety for your sense of chivalry?”

He knew that she was upset but using Tessa against him like that was a low blow. “Hey! I would never put Tessa at risk and you know that. I know that this is a lot to spring on you but I honestly thought that after what she did, you’d be a little more supportive.” He sighed. “I just… I’m just trying to protect both of them, that’s all, I swear.”

Susan was quiet for so long that Oliver thought she’d hung up on him. “But you feel that you have to protect Tessa from me. I don’t understand you sometimes, Oliver.”

“No! Hey, you know that’s not—"

“You know what? Fine, do what you have to do.”

He really didn’t want to hurt her, that hadn’t been his intention when he’d asked Felicity to stay. But he also knew that he couldn’t go back on his offer. “Hey, I’m sorry. This has nothing to do with us, okay? I’m just trying to do the right thing.”

Susan sighed again and after a beat said, “I know you’re a good guy so I guess I understand your reasoning. But can you just do me one favour?”

He wasn’t sure what to make of the quick turnaround but he nodded, then realised she couldn’t actually see him. “Of course.”

“Will you ask her if I can meet her? I would like to get to know the woman who’s going to be living with my boyfriend.”

She had a right to be angry, he realised, but he didn’t appreciate her insinuation. “She’s not living _with_ me, Susan, and it’s only temporary. But yes, I will ask her.”

“Thank you.”

“Will I be seeing you today?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“No, I’m still busy, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He wasn’t surprised when she hung up. With a sigh, he shook his head. “See you, then.”

* * *

Susan stomped down the stairs, her heels clicking against the concrete with sharp snaps. “Where are you?”

Entering the basement, she saw two men sitting at a table playing poker. She walked over to the one closest to her and before he could even move, she slapped him hard across the face.

“What the hell!” he yelled, holding a hand to his cheek.

Susan raised her hand to hit him again but he grabbed her wrist mid-air. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

He let go of her wrist and sat back down. “I didn’t do anything. Yet.”

“What’s going on?” the other guy asked, looking confused, and that sparked Susan’s anger even more.

“You didn’t even tell him? Are you really that stupid?”

“Hey! You weren’t doing anything, alright? I had to—”

She couldn’t bear to hear any lies right now. If she did, she honestly felt like she might explode. “You had to what? What exactly were you going to do? Were you going to kill her right there in the hospital?”

“Mack, what is she talking about?”

Mack stayed silent as he glared at Susan. She shook her head in disgust. “Well, what your _partner_ neglected to mention was that he went to visit Miss Smoak at the hospital yesterday. What he intended to do once he was there is still up for debate.”

“Is that true?” he asked. “Mack!”

“Yes, it’s true! I didn’t have a choice. She could identify me, Alex! You’re lucky, you were in the van the whole time. I was the one who risked everything.”

Susan crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, you risked everything, all right. You risked exposing every one of us in this room, you asshole! What were you thinking? She couldn’t identify you, you were dressed head to toe in black. But now, of course, you’ve given them a little more to go on, haven’t you?”

Alex frowned as Mack paled. “What do you mean?”

“He was caught on surveillance when—”

“I took precautions! I knew where those cameras were.”

Alex had apparently heard enough because he got up, walked around the table and punched Mack straight in the nose. Hard. Susan flinched but hid her grimace when blood spurted out. She had to remain in control.

“You son of a bitch!” Mack spat, raising his fist to fight back.

“Hey!” Susan yelled, getting in between them. “That’s enough! I’m not paying you to fight like schoolchildren. I hired you to do a job, you failed. You are now on the cover of every newspaper in Starling City. So now, we do things my way.”

Both Mack and Alex stared at her. Good, now she had their attention.

“I gave you specific instructions that nobody was to get hurt. You also failed at that. I will not have anyone die; do you understand me? You will not kill Miss Smoak. That is _not_ what this is about.”

“No,” Mack sneered, gingerly wiping his nose. “This is all about you, isn’t it, Miss Reporter. Gotta get those headlines, gotta get that newscaster spot. Meanwhile, Alex and I are risking our freedom to help you pursue that dream.”

“Don’t act like you’re suffering, Mack. You don’t exactly have a clean history; you’ve done time before. Why do you think I chose you two? I’ve paid you a lot of money. You’ll get the other half when you actually succeed.”

Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “You want us to try again? That’s crazy, the girl is under heavy guard now. No chance we can get to her again.”

Susan glared at him. “Well, lucky for you, I have the means to make it possible. But it’s going to take some time. But I want to make one thing abundantly clear. You are _not, in any way,_ to hurt that little girl. I don’t want to see so much as a scratch on her. Your only job is to hold her for a few days. Is that understood?”

Alex frowned. “I don’t get it. You want us to kidnap a kid so that you can further your career but… how does that help?”

“That’s my business, but trust me, I’m not enjoying any of this. So back to my question, is that all understood?”

Both men nodded. “So, for now, you sit tight. Don’t do _anything_ to expose yourselves. I’ll be in touch soon. Until then, stay out of trouble.”

“And what about the woman?” Mack asked as she started walking away.

Susan paused but didn’t turn around. “I told you before, I’ll deal with her. This time, _listen_ , and leave her to me.”

She walked up the stairs, slammed the door behind her, and leaned against it, dragging air into her lungs. She was in charge, but Mack was becoming unpredictable. If she wasn’t careful, he’d drag her down with him. He’d said they were risking their freedom. Well, he was risking a lot more than that, and that rattled her. She had more to lose. _I can’t fail on this. I’m in too deep now._ Having Miss Smoak staying with Oliver complicated things, but she was sure she could use it to her advantage, she just had to be careful.

Mack was afraid of going back to jail and so was Alex. But all three of their lives were at risk if this failed, and that… well, that terrified her.

* * *

“Are you really sure you want to do that?” Thea asked, sitting on the sofa in Oliver’s apartment. “I know that we owe her but asking her to stay here?”

Oliver nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s the right thing to do, Thea. You didn’t see her after that guy tried to get to her at the hospital. She was so scared, but of course, she wouldn’t admit it. I could see it in her eyes though. Here, she can rest and be safe.”

“I get that. Well, you have my support, and something tells me that you’re going to need it when you tell Mom,” she said, keeping her voice down to avoid waking Tessa, who was taking another nap.

Oliver winced, imagining how that particular conversation would go. It wouldn’t be pleasant. “You might be right.”

Thea’s lips twitched into a smile. “She might surprise you and actually be okay with it.”

When Oliver gave her a ‘yeah right’ look, she held up her hands and chuckled. “I said _might._ Anyway, what did Susan have to say about it? I can’t imagine she was too happy. I have to say, if Roy told me some random woman was going to be staying with him, I’d be pissed.”

“Well, she was at first. But I think at the end, she understood.” Her question reminded him of his conversation with Susan and the bone he still had to pick with Thea. “And speaking of Susan, what were you thinking attacking her like that?”

Thea blinked at the sudden change in topic but at least she didn’t pretend to misunderstand what he meant. “Uh… attack is a strong word, Ollie. I simply demanded an answer as to why she thought she could profit off of your situation.”

“That’s not what she told me—”

Thea scoffed. “Of course, she went running straight to you. Well, I’m not sorry. I was simply acting in the best interests of my family.”

“Including trying to scare off or threaten the woman I’m in a relationship with? A woman you clearly have a grudge against.”

Thea leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “I wasn’t trying to scare her off, nor do I have a grudge against her. I know you like her, and your willingness to see the best in people is wonderful, but I am not as blind to her faults. She is a _reporter_ , Ollie. Someone has to watch your back even if you won’t. I don’t want her to take advantage of you, and by extension, our family.”

Oliver knew that Thea had the best intentions, but acting so rashly was what had gotten her into trouble so many times in the past. “I know that you’re looking out for me, but threatening her career was low. It reminded me a lot of Dad; he would’ve done something like that. That’s not who we are, Thea.”

There was a brief flash of guilt in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up. “I’m not sorry for what I said. I meant every word of it. She can’t write stories about our family, Ollie. It’s just too… close. _She’s_ too close. To be honest, I’m surprised you’re not even pissed that she wrote about this in the first place.”

He was at first. But Susan’s reason for writing that article was that she wanted to protect him from the rest of the vultures. He had no reason to doubt her honesty, and if he did, what did that say about their relationship? “Her intentions were good; I wish you could see that. She wasn’t trying to hurt me. She was just trying to help in the only way she knew how.”

“I’m still not taking back what I said. But… I will apologise to her if that will help you.”

At the end of the day, she was still a kid, and he understood her reasons even if he didn’t like them. “Okay, and I’ll tell her that writing about our family is off-limits for as long as we’re dating.”

A gleam appeared in his sister’s eyes. “Your relationship has a shelf life?”

Oliver frowned. “No, that’s not what I said.” _Was it?_ “Look, anything can happen in the future, Speedy. I don’t know if we’ll still be dating in a year or whatever. My point was that as long as we’re together, stories about us are off-limits to her. Okay?”

Thea smirked as she sat back and crossed her arms. “If you say so, brother. So, is that all? Can I get back to Roy now?”

“No, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.” He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. “I need a favour.”

“Okay, what?”

“It’s about Felicity. Tess and I went to see her this afternoon and she told me that she’s being released tomorrow.”

Thea nodded. “Okay, tell me what you need.”

* * *

The next afternoon, Oliver and Tessa walked into Felicity’s room to discover her sitting in the chair next to her bed reading a book. As soon as she saw them her face lit up and Oliver couldn’t help but smile in return. “Hey, guys!”

“Hi!” Tessa ran over to her and hugged her, probably a little too tightly judging by the grimace on Felicity’s face.

“Tess, be careful,” Oliver said. “You’ve got to be gentle, remember?”

Tessa nodded. “Sorry, Flicity.”

Felicity grabbed her hand. “Don’t be sorry, Tessa, I’m fine. Actually, I’m really happy. You wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m finally getting out of here today. Yay!” Oliver chuckled as Felicity grabbed both of Tessa’s hands and waved them in the air in celebration.

“Yay!” Tessa replied, her eyes sparkling in amusement. “You’re coming home with us, right? Daddy said you are.”

Felicity’s eyes flicked up to him and her smile softened. “Yes, your dad kindly offered a place for me to stay so that I can get better faster.”

He was grateful that she didn’t mention the safety aspect of her stay. Tessa didn’t need to know that part. Her nightmares were bad enough already.

“We’re gonna have so much fun, Flicity. And I’m gonna take care of you, too.” Tessa’s excitement was palpable and Oliver couldn’t deny that it was contagious. He found himself looking forward to having Felicity around for a couple of weeks. There was just something about her, something so… bright about being in her presence. He barely knew her, and yet, somehow, it felt like he’d known her for years.

“Aww, you’re such a sweetie, Tessa.”

“So, can we go?” Tessa asked.

“Not just yet, we have to wait for the nurse to bring my discharge papers to sign.”

Oliver snapped himself out of his thoughts and remembered the bag he was carrying. “Oh, here. My sister got something for you to wear.”

Felicity took the bag with a frown. “That’s very sweet of her but she shouldn’t have. Although, I guess I probably shouldn’t be seen leaving the hospital with my boss whilst wearing a hospital gown.”

Oliver chuckled. “Probably not, I don’t think they leave a lot to the imagination.”

Felicity’s mouth fell open just as Oliver’s face started to overheat. He lowered his gaze and mentally berated himself. _That was not appropriate, you idiot._

But if he’d offended her, she didn’t show it. Instead, she smiled, shyly. “No, they really don’t. I can just imagine the picture of my butt on display in tomorrow’s papers.”

Oliver’s throat tightened as he quickly forced _that_ particular image out of his mind. “Well, I’m hoping we can avoid the press.”

“Speaking of press, I read the article that Susan wrote. It was well written, she’s talented.”

“Yeah, she’s a good reporter.”

Felicity nodded and pulled out the clothes that Thea had bought for her. “I’ll pay your sister back for these.”

He was about to refuse but then he remembered her negotiations over rent and decided against it.

“How did she know my size though? These are perfect.” They were just basic sweatpants and a black t-shirt but Felicity looked impressed.

“I have no idea, but Thea takes her fashion seriously. She said she chose something that would be comfortable enough for you to wear around your bandages, and still be really ‘cute’ if you were photographed.”

Felicity giggled and something inside him shifted. “I never thought I’d hear Oliver Queen say the word ‘cute’ when referring to sweatpants.”

He huffed softly. “Her words, not mine.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, tell her I said thank you, she did a good job.”

“You can tell her yourself, she’s downstairs in the car with Diggle.”

“Family outing?” Felicity said with a teasing smile.

“She wants to meet you,” Tessa said, now sitting on the edge of Felicity’s vacant bed.

Felicity looked up at him, her eyes questioning. “Was she there… _that_ night?”

“Yeah,” he replied, sitting down next to Tessa on the bed. “She’s still a little shaken up about all that.”

Felicity scoffed. “I think we all are. But is she okay with me living with you? I mean, not _living with_ you, but with me staying at your apartment, temporarily, I mean?”

He smiled at her mini ramble. It seemed to be a trait with her and he found it refreshing. “She’s completely fine with it. She agrees that it’s the sensible thing to do.”

For a split second, she looked unsure. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can just go back to my place, it’s no prob—”

“No!” Tessa said. “I want you to stay with me, Flicity.”

Oliver put an arm around his daughter’s shoulders and smiled. “I think we already covered this, didn’t we? I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t sure. I also heard that rent prices are dropping a lot these days, too.”

“Nice try but I’m still paying.” Felicity’s smile grew and Oliver realised his own did in response. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Felicity. I want to do this, for you and for Tessa. I want to keep both of you safe.”

She obviously understood his hidden meaning about Tessa because she glanced at her then nodded. “Well then, looks like we’re going to have some fun, huh Tessa?”

“Yes!” Tessa said, making both of them laugh when she did a fist pump in the air.

* * *

“This really isn’t necessary, I can walk,” Felicity protested as Oliver pushed her out of the elevator that led into the underground parking lot. The ride down had been quiet without Tessa there, but Oliver’s bodyguard had taken her with him when he’d left to collect the car. With just the two of them in the confined space, Felicity had lost the ability to think rationally.

“You heard what the doctor said, it’s hospital policy that all patients have to leave in a wheelchair.”

Felicity frowned; Oliver sounded like he was enjoying this way too much. “That’s just because they don’t want to get sued if something happens. I’m okay to walk now.”

She tried to turn her head to look at him but it pulled at her stitches, making her wince.

“Well, unfortunately for you, your face is telling me a different story. Besides, my car is literally right there, so you can relax.”

“I am relaxed. Who wouldn’t be relaxed? It’s perfectly normal to be leaving the hospital to go and stay at your boss’ apartment.”

The wheelchair stopped suddenly and before she could ask why, Oliver was crouching down at her side, putting himself at eye level with her. She tried her best not to look into his eyes because she was sure that they would be her downfall.

“Hey,” he said softly, practically making her look at him. “You have no reason to be nervous, Felicity. But I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. If you really don’t want to stay with me, I can always arrange for some extra security and someone to help you at your house while you recover.”

 _Frack_. She must’ve sounded so ungrateful and she hadn’t meant to. “I’m sorry, Oliver. It’s not that I’m nervous to stay at your place, you’ve been so kind to me. I guess I’m just… I don’t know.”

“I know that you don’t know me very well yet. But you _can_ talk to me, Felicity. I’m a good listener.”

The softness of his voice was doing things to her, things that she really didn’t want to analyse because it wasn’t appropriate. Having a crush on her boss was the last thing she needed right now, not to mention it was _so_ far across the line. But she couldn’t tell him that that was why she felt nervous. “I just… I’ve lived alone for a long time and it’s taking a little getting used to, you know, having someone offer to help me. But I really do appreciate it, Oliver.”

Then he made things worse by gently squeezing her hand. “How about we just agree that we’re both grateful to each other and leave it at that, huh?”

“That sounds like a plan.”

“Good. Okay, let’s go.”

She breathed in deeply as he started pushing her chair towards the waiting car. _I can do this_ , she thought. As they got closer, a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair got out, and Felicity immediately saw the resemblance.

“Felicity Smoak,” she said, smiling as she held out a hand for her to shake. “I’m Thea, Oliver’s sister. It’s nice to finally meet you, you know when you’re conscious.”

Felicity shook her hand, returning her smile. “It’s nice to meet you too, Thea. Thank you, by the way, for the clothes. They’re a lot less draughty than those gowns, that’s for sure.”

Thea laughed, the sound putting Felicity at ease. “You’re very welcome. But I’m guessing if you’re anything like me, that you can’t wait to get into your own clothes.”

Felicity chuckled. “As much as I appreciate how comfy these sweats are, I am dying to get into my favourite PJ’s.”

“That’s actually why I asked Thea along this afternoon,” Oliver interjected. “We’re going to swing by your place so that you can pack up whatever you need for your stay. Thea’s going to help you if that’s okay?”

“Of course, it is. I was wondering how I was going to get my stuff. Thanks, Thea.”

Thea shrugged. “No problem, us girls have gotta stick together. Especially if you’re going to be staying with grumpus here.”

“Hey,” Oliver protested.

Felicity tried to stifle a giggle at that and failed miserably. “Sorry, I’m sure you’re never grumpy at all, Mr Queen.”

He gave her an ‘I don’t believe you’ look and she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing again. It was an adorable expression and she doubted that he even knew he was pretty much pouting at this point. It wasn’t hard to see where Tessa got that from.

Thea looked from Oliver back to Felicity, her eyes assessing something that Felicity didn’t want to know about. But, thankfully, she changed the subject. “Okay, shall we get going?”

Felicity sighed in relief. “Yes, please. I am more than ready to see the back of this place.”

“Until your check-up next week,” Oliver said.

She shook her head at him. “You know, I think Mr Stickler-For-Details is more appropriate for you.”

“Oh, you don’t know how true that is, Felicity,” Thea said, opening the car door so that Oliver could move her a little closer. “But something tells me that you’re going to find out.”

When the wheelchair was in position, he moved around and held out his hands. Felicity hesitated for a second before she let him pull her up as gently as he could. Holding one arm around her waist, he helped her into the car. She’d wondered why Tessa had been so quiet, and now she could see why. The little girl was sitting directly opposite to her in her car seat, fighting to keep her droopy eyes open. It was a battle she was losing and Felicity melted at the sight.

“You good?” Oliver asked as he made sure that she was safely inside before placing her purse in her lap.

She swallowed hard, her palms still tingling from his touch. “Yep, all good here.”

He nodded, smiled, and then closed the door. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her frazzled nerves. _It’s just for a week or two. You can handle it._ Even if she couldn’t, it didn’t matter. She was pretty sure that a man like Oliver Queen could never be interested in her. Besides that, and most importantly, he had a girlfriend, and she would do well to remember that.

“Miss Smoak?” a voice said from the front of the car. “Is everything okay?”

She inwardly cursed, hoping that he hadn’t seen her blush. “Uh, yes, I’m fine thanks, Mr Diggle.”

Diggle grimaced. “Only Mrs Queen calls me that. Everyone else just calls me Digg.”

“Okay, Digg.” She gave him what she hoped was a polite smile and not a sheepish one. She felt like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “And Miss Smoak makes me sound old so… please, call me Felicity.”

“Felicity. I’m glad you accepted Oliver’s offer. It’ll be easier to keep you and Tessa safe if you’re in one place.”

She looked out the window to see Oliver and Thea returning from taking the wheelchair back. “Yeah, I’m glad I did, too.”

“You did a very brave thing, Felicity. That little girl there is safe because of you.”

She detected a hint of guilt in his tone but didn’t know enough about the circumstances to ask. “I just acted on instinct, I’m not a hero of any kind.”

“You are to her.”

Felicity glanced at the sleeping girl. It was so nice to see her like that, but she would never forget the terror in her eyes that night. Her screams and tears would haunt Felicity for a long time.

The car door opened, startling her out of her thoughts as Thea climbed in and sat next to Tessa, leaving Oliver to sit next to her.

“Ready to go?” he asked, oblivious to the swooping of her stomach as she looked at him.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I’m ready.”

* * *

“This is a nice place,” Thea said, standing in the middle of Felicity’s living room. Since Tessa was still asleep, Oliver and Mr Diggle were waiting outside.

“Thanks. Yeah, I was living in a small apartment when I first moved to Starling, then a few months ago I found this place and it was like… it was calling out to me, you know?”

Thea nodded. “I could see myself living in a place like this.”

Felicity scoffed. “It’s quite a down-size from a mansion.”

“Well, yeah but something about this place just seems so… warm and inviting. The mansion, as much as I love living there, can sometimes be a little cold.”

 _And lonely?_ Felicity wondered, based on Thea’s expression. She didn’t really know what else to say, since she didn’t know her that well. “Uh, so how’s school?”

“It’s good. My grades are good, classes are good. My boyfriend is in a lot of the same classes as me so that helps.”

“I’m glad. I used to love school.”

“Colour me not surprised,” she chuckled. When Felicity raised her eyebrows she added, “I saw how high your I.Q is. You’re a genius, stands to reason that you liked school.”

“Oh,” Felicity said, smiling. “Well, I loved MIT but high school came with its own set of challenges. But I love computers so…”

The conversation trailed off again and Felicity didn’t know how to start another. She gingerly walked forward, holding onto her stomach. All the moving around was starting to make her ache. “Would you like something to drink?”

“How about you sit down before you fall down and I’ll go get them.”

She opened her mouth to protest but she was pretty tired. The excitement of leaving the hospital was starting to take its toll, and she still had to pack. “Thank you, there’s juice in the fridge. Actually, scratch that, it’s most likely out of date by now.”

“I’ll find something, sit. Relax.”

“Yes, _mother_.”

Thea rolled her eyes and walked through to the kitchen while Felicity made herself comfortable on the sofa. How on earth had she ended up here? Five days ago, she was just a normal person going about her daily business. Now, she was injured, still in danger, and she had Thea Queen in her kitchen. Not to mention, Thea’s extremely handsome brother standing outside waiting to take her back to his apartment. To stay. It was crazy.

“Well, you were right,” Thea said walking in with a traumatised expression. “The juice is definitely not good anymore. Neither are what I think are supposed to be strawberries. But the iced tea is fine so… here you go.”

Felicity took the glass from her and smiled as Thea sat in the chair next to her. “Thanks. I totally forgot I even had this.”

“Judging by the contents of your refrigerator, it’s probably a good thing that you’re staying at Ollie’s. He’s a mean cook, by the way. You probably won’t ever want to leave after you’ve tasted his cooking.”

Felicity glanced at her over the rim of her glass and saw Thea grin before taking a sip of her drink. “I don’t think he’d want a permanent lodger, and somehow I doubt his girlfriend would approve either.”

Thea’s smile faded. “I wouldn’t worry about Susan. She’s…”

“She’s what?” Felicity asked when Thea hesitated.

“I don’t really know her, but I don’t trust her. She’s a reporter and my brother can be a little short-sighted sometimes. He prefers to see the best in people.”

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing, Thea.”

“It’s not, it’s a wonderful thing but I don’t trust _her_ with him.”

“Is this because of that article she wrote?”

“Sort of. It’s not totally because _she_ wrote it, it’s the timing of it. She left the hospital that night to go home and write it. I don’t know, that just doesn’t scream loyalty to me.”

Felicity could see her point. “Did you mention this to Oliver?”

Thea frowned. “Oh, he knows how I feel about it. He thinks she was just trying to help.”

“Maybe she was.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think so. There’s just something… off about her.”

“But you trust me?” she asked. She knew Oliver did, but what about his sister? She didn’t trust Susan and she was Oliver’s girlfriend. Felicity was a total stranger.

Thea stared at her for a few seconds, contemplating. “Actually, I do. It took guts to do what you did, Felicity. I know that we don’t know each other but I like to think that I’m a pretty good judge of character. Besides, I feel… I don’t know, comfortable around you, that’s how I know I can trust you.”

“Wow, okay.” She had to be honest, hearing Thea being so protective of Oliver in regards to Susan had left her thinking that she didn’t stand a chance.

“That being said, if it turns out I’m wrong, I will be your worst enemy.”

Felicity’s eyes widened until she saw Thea grin. “Duly noted,” she replied with a nervous chuckle.

“Okay, how are you feeling now?”

“Better, we should probably get started.” She moved to get up and Thea immediately stood to help her.

“I’ll get the heavy stuff since you’re not allowed to lift anything. What do you need?”

It didn’t take that long to gather her clothes and two laptops. She didn’t have any pets that needed to be cared for, or any plants that needed watering. The plants would most likely have died before now anyway. She had not been blessed with a green thumb.

Lifting the laptop bag onto her shoulder, Thea bent down to pick up the suitcase with the clothes in. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned when Felicity stepped forward to help.

“You can’t carry everything, Thea.”

She stood up and blew her hair out of her face. “And you can’t carry anything, Felicity. But you can open the door.”

Feeling a little useless, Felicity did as Thea asked, but as soon as it was open, Oliver was right there in front of her, making her jerk backwards in surprise. “Ow,” she hissed as she held a hand to her stomach.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I just moved a little too fast, that’s all. But we’re all done here.”

Oliver nodded and smiled down at her. _Oh boy, those eyes again._ He really needed to stop doing that. _Don’t be stupid, he’s not doing anything he’s just being friendly._ But then her body froze for a second when he gently cupped her elbow and helped her over the doorstep.

“You’re sure you have everything you need?”

Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded as she turned to lock the door. Oliver took the laptop bag from Thea and slipped it up onto his shoulder before taking her elbow again to guide her down the steps and back into the car.

As Oliver and Thea put her things in the trunk, Felicity took a look back at her townhouse, trying to ignore the warmth of his hand on her elbow. She knew it was only temporary, but leaving here left her feeling a little sad.

“It’s going to be okay, Felicity,” Diggle said, looking at her in the rear-view mirror. He seemed nice, with understanding eyes and a warm smile. She had a feeling that he was the kind of man that she could be honest with.

“I know, it’s just a little overwhelming, that’s all. Everything seems to be happening so fast.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I get that. But once you get settled in at Oliver’s place, you’ll feel a little better, I’m sure.”

“I hope so.”

* * *

“Well, hats off to the chef,” Felicity said, leaning back in her chair at the dining table. “That was amazing, Oliver.”

“Thank you. There’s more if you’re still hungry.”

She shook her head vehemently. “Oh God, no. I’m already fit to burst. But thanks… you know, for doing this. You don’t have to cook for me.”

He sighed, wondering when the awkwardness would pass. Ever since she’d come back from what was now her bedroom, she seemed tense. Thea had helped her to unpack but when he’d asked her to stay for dinner, she’d declined, saying that she wanted to spend some time with Roy. Since then, Felicity seemed to have climbed back into her shell.

“Felicity, I thought we agreed that you don’t have to keep thanking me. I had to cook dinner for me and Tess, I wasn’t exactly going to let you go hungry while we ate,” he said, smiling softly to take the bite out of his words.

She looked down at her hands, her expression carefully masked. “I know, thank—I appreciate that.”

“Besides, my mother would kill me for such bad manners,” he said with a grin, which she returned after a beat.

“What’s for dessert, Daddy?” Tessa said, sitting, of course, next to Felicity. His little girl had been on cloud nine all afternoon. Although she’d been a little put out when he’d told her to let Felicity unpack in peace. He knew that Felicity liked Tessa, but today was already a lot for her to handle and he didn’t know if having Tessa attached to her hip would make it worse for her.

Besides, this was a temporary arrangement, if Tessa got too close it would just be harder for her when Felicity left. “What would you like?”

“Um…” she pursed her lips and looked at the ceiling as she thought about her choices. “Um…”

Oliver chuckled. “How about a small slice of chocolate pie?”

“Ooh, can I have nuts on top? Like last time.”

He flicked a glance at Felicity. “Uh, no, not this time. Sorry, baby.”

Tessa pouted. “Why not?”

“Because Felicity is allergic to nuts,” he said, seeing Felicity’s jaw drop from the corner of his eye. “We don’t want to make her ill, do we?”

Tessa’s eyes widened as she shook her head. “No. Okay, no nuts.”

“Oliver, how did you…?”

He stood up to gather their dishes. “I read your personnel file remember? Your allergy is listed in there.”

“Ah, yeah. I forgot about that,” she said, smiling in what he thought was relief. “Doesn’t seem fair that you know all about me but I don’t know a lot about you. Other than what I’ve read in the tabloids— _not_ that I read the tabloids! I don’t but I have read articles about you, well, about you and QC.”

He pressed his lips together to stifle a laugh, he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. “Most of what you’ve read is probably untrue, but I see your point. Although, when it comes to something as serious as a nut allergy, it’s probably for the best that I’m informed.”

Felicity laughed as she handed him her plate. “Yeah, probably.”

With his hands full of plates, Oliver looked down at her. “So, pie? It doesn’t have any nuts in it.”

“I’d love some.”

“Coming right up.”

When he returned with their desserts, Felicity and Tessa were deep in conversation about something. “What’s going on?”

“Flicity is gonna watch a movie with us,” Tessa replied, immediately digging into her dessert.

The black circles under Felicity’s eyes and her lack of response told him she was about done for the day. “I think maybe we should let Felicity sleep, baby. She’s had a long day and she needs to rest, remember?”

“Oh, okay,” she replied, disappointed.

“I don’t mind,” Felicity said stroking Tessa’s hair. “But I can’t guarantee that I’ll make it through the entire thing. It has been an exciting day today, hasn’t it?”

“I can choose a really short one,” she offered.

Felicity chuckled. “Okay, it’s a deal, but if I fall asleep and snore, you’re not allowed to laugh, okay?”

Tessa nodded. “It’s okay, Daddy snores all the time.”

Oliver rolled his eyes, shook his head and tucked into his dessert. He had a feeling that he’d have to get used to having things revealed about him by his daughter. Felicity grinned but then ducked her head and took a bite of her pie.

“Oh wow, this is delicious! Did you make this?”

“Yeah, I made it this morning. Tessa helped, didn’t you, baby?” he replied feeling a little proud. Felicity smiled softly at him and then took another bite.

“Mm-hmm, it’s almost my favourite dessert,” Tessa said with chocolate already smeared around her mouth. Oliver had no idea how she did it, let alone so fast.

“Almost? What’s your absolute favourite?” Felicity asked.

Tessa’s smile faded. “Well, I liked ice cream but…”

Oliver felt his heart squeeze as Tessa took another bite of her pie, sadly, this time. “It’s okay, Tess. You can have ice cream again soon, okay?”

Tessa shook her head vehemently. “No! I don’t like ice cream anymore, Daddy.”

Felicity caught his eye, sharing his concern, so she put her spoon down and grasped Tessa’s hand. “What’s your favourite flavour, Tessa?”

“Bubblegum.”

Oliver hated seeing those tears in her eyes again. They’d been doing so well all day, but he supposed it was bound to hit her again at some point. He so badly wanted to know what was going through his baby girl’s mind because he had no idea how to help her, and that hurt him deeply.

“Do you wanna know what my favourite flavour is?” Felicity asked. Tessa sniffled as she nodded at her. “It’s mint chip. It’s delicious, I think you’d really like it. Do you want to try some with me tomorrow?”

Tessa looked conflicted. She clearly wanted to, but the thought of an ice cream parlour was out of the question for her, it seemed. “I think so.”

“Okay, so tomorrow we’ll get some ice cream and watch a girly movie. Sound fun?”

“Yeah.” Finally, she smiled. “Okay, Flicity.”

Oliver leaned back in his chair, watching as his daughter went back to eating her dessert. The tears were still there but she looked a little happier. Felicity really was great with her and Oliver was grateful to her all over again. He had no doubt that they would have a lot of fun, but that annoying little voice in the back of his mind warned him that eventually, it had to end. Felicity would go back to her life. _Maybe she’ll still want to see Tessa occasionally. They’ve become close._

Yeah, maybe.

_**To Be Continued...** _


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity settles in, Moira pays a visit, and Susan finally gets to meet the woman living with her boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it's been longer than I like since I updated and I so badly wanted to stick to the weekly schedule. Unfortunately, life happened, I had a bad fall and my muse decided to go on vacation. But, she's back and so am I. Thank you for sticking with me, I will try my hardest to stick to weekly updates but I'll be going back to work in a couple of weeks so we'll see how it goes. 
> 
> Enjoy :D

“Is everything okay, Oliver?” Felicity asked.

Oliver glanced up from his phone at the other end of the table. “Hmm? Oh yeah, everything’s fine.”

Tessa had already finished her breakfast so she was currently in her room putting on her favourite dress to show to Felicity. It was better than she’d been when Felicity had first joined them. She hadn’t needed Oliver to tell her that Tessa had had a nightmare. The little girl was practically vibrating with nervous energy and the fear that Felicity hated so much in her eyes.

She wondered if they were the same as her nightmares. That faceless mask. Eyes so cold that’s all she could see. It sent a shudder through her as she remembered the moment she’d been stabbed. But the most terrifying thing in her dreams was Tessa’s screams. They cut through her worse than the knife. No one should ever have to go through that, especially a child.

Oliver didn’t elaborate, just went back to his phone with that same frown he’d been wearing for the past hour.

“Okay, seriously… what’s bothering you?”

With a long sigh, he put his phone down on the table and looked at her. He looked worn out already and it was only the morning. “I had a conversation with my mother this morning.”

Felicity knew of Moira Queen, she’d passed her once in the hall at work, and the look she’d given her could’ve melted glass. Her reputation as the head of the Queen family preceded her. She’d heard all sorts of rumours about the lengths she’d go to, to protect her children.

“I guess I don’t need to ask if it went well.”

Oliver rubbed a hand down his face. “You could say that.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I mean, I don’t want to pry. But… I’ve been told that I’m a good listener too.”

The corner of his mouth lifted into a half-smile. “I don’t doubt that at all. You’re great with Tess. But… yeah, it was _not_ a pleasant conversation.”

“Was it about the company?”

“Sort of. She’s angry at me for considering a merger with another company in the city.”

Felicity frowned as she took a sip of her coffee. “Well, if you were considering it then it must have some merit. I doubt you’d agree to anything that could hurt Queen Consolidated.”

This time his smile was full. “Thank you. I tried to tell her that but she wouldn’t listen. I have been hesitating over it though. I don’t want to jump in before I get all the information I can possibly get.”

“Logical. So, what else did she say? You said, ‘sort of’ so I assume it was about more than the merger.”

Oliver shifted in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked uncomfortable all of a sudden and it dawned on her that it might be about her.

“It’s about me, isn’t it?”

He hesitated but then sighed. “She wasn’t too happy that I didn’t tell her that I’d asked you to stay here for a little while.”

“Oh.” _What did you expect? Not everyone was going to react like Tessa and Thea, you knew that._ “I take it she disagrees with your decision. Really, Oliver, you can tell me. I can handle it.”

Oliver nodded, looking miserable as he did so. “She’s demanding that Tessa stay at the mansion during your stay here. I told her there was absolutely no way that was ever going to happen.”

Felicity blinked. “Wow, okay. That’s not exactly surprising… I suppose I understand it though. I am basically a stranger.”

“Felicity, it’s… it’s not that.”

“Oh. _Oh_. She thinks I was somehow a part of the plan to take Tessa?” It made sense, she thought, but it stung a little bit. Did Oliver think that too? Is that why he asked her to stay here, so that he could keep an eye on her? A ‘keep your enemies close’ kind of thing? She hoped not.

“I know that none of you really know me, but I’m _telling_ you now, I was not a part of it. I could never do that to anyone, let alone a child.” She hoped he realised that she was using the same words he’d used in the hospital to tell her that she could trust him.

“I never believed otherwise, Felicity,” he said with a small smile. “But I also won’t lie, I did ask for a background check on you. I’m sorry but I have to be careful who I expose my daughter to.”

That, she had expected and approved of. “Well, that’s just common sense. I would’ve done the same. As a matter of fact, I kinda did.”

Oliver looked a little relieved as he chuckled. “So, I guess we’re even then. What gems did your search turn up?”

She was surprised that he hadn’t even asked how she was able to do that. “Nothing too worrying, although… a few videos of a very drunk Oliver Queen were kind of enlightening. One, in particular, was amusing, how tall was that streetlight that you climbed to avoid arrest?”

He covered his face with his hands. “I am never living that down, am I?”

She laughed. “Hey, no judgement here. We’ve all done things in our youth that stick with us. Some of us are just fortunate enough not to have it splashed across the newspapers.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of things did you do in your youth?”

Felicity shrugged. “Nothing for my employer to worry about.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he looked at her with curiosity. “Oh, come on, there must be something.” 

She pressed her lips together to hide her smile. “Nope, nothing. At least, nothing as exciting as evading arrest. How did that come about, anyway?”

His smile faded, making her worry if she’d just put her foot in it. “That… is a very long story involving my best friend. He’s… well, he passed away two years ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Oliver.”

“Thanks. Tommy was a great guy, the best. We grew up together, and honestly, he was more like a brother than a best friend.”

“You miss him a lot.”

His eyes connected with hers, full of sadness. “I think about him every day. I wish he was here to see Tess grow up. He loved her like she was his own. Malcolm Merlyn, his father, wants to merge our companies in Tommy’s honour.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, so Merlyn Global and Queen Consolidated? Hmm, I could see that.”

“You know about Merlyn Global?”

“Yeah, I was actually offered a job there but I chose QC in the end.”

Oliver took a sip of his coffee. “What made you decide to go with us?”

She grinned. “Better medical coverage.”

“Well, that was lucky for me then, huh?” he said after letting out a bark of laughter and throwing her a wink.

Just as she was about to say something else, Tessa sauntered into the room and right up to Felicity. She did a little twirl, making both the dress and her curls float around her.

“Do you like it, Flicity? My Aunt Thea bought it for me.”

Felicity sat back, pretending to analyse the pink flowery dress, grateful for the interruption. She could feel her cheeks heating already. “I love it. It’s beautiful, just like you. Your Aunt Thea has good taste.”

“She does! She takes me shopping a lot, I like that, it’s so much fun.”

It was so great to see that she was feeling better. Her eyes sparkled, not a hint of fear there, and she seemed more upbeat. When Oliver had mentioned her nightmare, all Felicity had to do was take one look at her, and it made her want to draw her into her arms. But she didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that yet. If Tessa initiated the hug, that was different and she would always oblige, but she couldn’t just initiate it herself.

“What hairstyle do you want today, baby?” Oliver asked as Tessa jumped up onto his lap.

“Nothing, Daddy. I want to wear it like Flicity’s.”

Oliver looked up at her and studied her hair and Felicity fought the urge to fiddle with it to make sure it was presentable. Which was ridiculous because she was sitting there in her pj’s and bathrobe.

“So, you just want to wear it loose today?” he asked, smoothing a hand over her curls.

“Uh-huh. Oh…” Tessa cupped her mouth to Oliver’s ear to whisper something.

When he raised his head, he was smiling, which was nice, Felicity thought. He’d looked so sad a few moments ago and, again, she’d wanted to hug him. Something in her just ached to soothe someone when they were hurting. She’d always been that way.

“Of course, sweetie. I’ll ask Digg to pick some up on his way over here later, okay?”

Tessa hugged him tightly and then turned so that she was sitting on his knees, facing Felicity. Oliver pressed a kiss to her temple when she leaned her head back on him. It was a beautiful sight to see.

Felicity frowned, wondering what Tessa had asked him. She didn’t have to wait long because Oliver looked at her and mouthed the words ‘ice cream’, reminding her of her promise last night.

“So, what are your plans today, Felicity?” he asked with a grin. “Quick jog around the park?”

“Haha. Nope, I am going to take a quick shower, if that’s okay, and then change my dressings.”

A bemused expression crossed his face. “Of course it’s okay. You have your own bathroom, Felicity, you don’t have to ask.”

She smiled back, but she felt a little awkward for some reason. “Thank you. After that, I actually do have some plans. Top secret kind of plans.”

“Can I help you, Flicity?” Tessa asked. “Please?”

She tilted her head to the side and tapped her lip in thought. “Actually, I do have something you can help me with. That is if your dad doesn’t mind.”

Oliver shrugged. “Fine by me, I have some calls to make anyway.”

Felicity couldn’t help but laugh when Tessa fist-pumped the air again. She was an adorable child, for sure, but her sassy nature was so funny that Felicity found it hard to keep a straight face around her.

* * *

Since Felicity wasn’t allowed to get her wound wet, showering took a lot longer than she’d wanted it to. Changing her dressings by herself presented an even greater challenge. Finally, after a while, she’d managed to complete the task and was now sitting on her bed, leaning back against the headboard with her laptop in her lap.

Tessa was in the kitchen working on her drawings that Felicity had asked her to make to decorate her room a little. The distraction seemed to be working well, it gave Tessa something to do without feeling rejected, and it gave Felicity time to start working on finding the man that attacked her.

Finding him based off of a tattoo was a hard task, and she didn’t hold out much hope of getting any results. She downloaded the picture that the police sketch artist had drawn anyway and sent it out to all of the tattoo parlours in the city. Hopefully, someone would remember it and get back to her.

Next, she downloaded the picture that was captured by the camera at the hospital. Again, not much to go on but it was something.

The picture popped up on her screen and she took a moment to study it, ignoring the churning in her stomach when she saw the door to her room in the background. _He’d been so close. I could be dead right now._ Thinking that way wasn’t going to get her anywhere so she got to work to try and enhance the image.

When it was as clear as she could get it, she still didn’t have much but at least she had hair colour and a profile to work off. Her fingers hovered over the keys as she pondered her next move. _It’s illegal. If you get caught…_

She knew what would happen if she got caught, but this was too important. She would just have to make sure that it couldn’t be traced back to her or to Oliver’s IP address. Hacking into the hospital’s security cameras was so easy that she seriously doubted the abilities of whoever set the system up. Selecting the correct camera and the time frame, she clicked play and watched closely.

There he was. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him wander the hallway outside of her room. Up and down, up and down, and then, he stopped. His body language was tense, holding himself rigid and bouncing up and down on the tips of his toes as if he were arguing with whatever decision he was about to make. She still couldn’t see his face; he hid it so well that she knew that he was aware of the camera above him. _Damn_.

But she quickly noted other details that she could at least see. He was around 6ft tall, square shoulders, slim build, and jet-black hair that appeared to be chin length. As she continued to watch, she saw him take a step towards her door and her chest tightened in response. So close. All he had to do was reach out and… then a nurse appeared and he turned and walked away. Felicity quickly changed cameras, following him right to the exit doors, and not once did she see his face. This guy was scarily good.

“Who are you?” she whispered to herself. “ _Where are you?”_

* * *

“Great, thanks, Walter,” Oliver said, leaning back in his office chair as he listened to his step-father speak. “Well, that’s not a discrepancy, I simply used the company insurance. She is an employee. Look, don’t worry about it, I’ll smooth it over with my mother. We both know why she has a problem with it and it has nothing to do with the company funds.”

After saying goodbye, Oliver hung up and went to the kitchen in desperate need of coffee. He hadn’t slept well last night; Tessa’s nightmare had been the worst one yet and it had taken him a long time to calm her down.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw his daughter sitting at the bar, feverishly colouring in a drawing of what he guessed was a unicorn. “Hey, sweetie.”

“Hi, Daddy,” she replied, not taking her eyes off her work for a second.

“How’s it going?” he asked, pouring himself a coffee.

“It’s good! I’m helping Flicity.”

“I see that.” He placed his cup on the counter and leaned over to inspect her work. “Wow, that’s pretty good, Tess.”

“Flicity said she likes unicorns. Like me.”

Oliver shook his head and smiled. Felicity obviously wanted some alone time, which was fine, but he was grateful that she’d given Tessa something to do that would still include her. She really had a way with his daughter and it was kind of heart-warming to see.

He glanced over at the stack next to her. “How many did you draw?”

Her little tongue poked out in concentration. “I don’t know. Flicity said she wants to decorate her room with them. So, I did a lot.”

“What? And Daddy doesn’t even get one? I’m hurt.”

Her head shot up in alarm but when she saw him smiling, she rolled her eyes at him. “I’ll make you one too, Daddy. Don’t worry, okay?”

A buzzing sound came from the hallway as he stood up. “Thank you, baby.”

Heading out of the kitchen, he went to answer the door, inwardly groaning when he saw his mother standing on the other side, and she did not look pleased.

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

Moira levelled him with a cool stare. “What? A mother can’t visit her own son now without a reason?”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “Of course, but I suspect that a simple visit is not why you’re here.”

Moira shrugged out of her jacket as she walked inside, breezing past Oliver as if she was the one that lived there. “Well, today you’re exactly right.”

“Hi, Grandma!” Tessa yelled, practically throwing herself at Moira’s legs.

“Ooh! My goodness, young lady, you are getting big,” Moira said, hoisting her up onto her hip. Oliver saw her glance at the bruise on her head before she smiled. “And how is my little girl?”

“I’m good. I’m drawing some pictures for Flicity.”

“I see,” Moira said, her tone changing ever so slightly that only Oliver picked up on it. “Well, that sounds lovely, darling. I will let you get back to it so that I can have a quick word with your father. Maybe… if you would like to, you could have a sleepover at my house soon.”

Tessa faltered a little as Moira put her back down and Oliver immediately saw that she didn’t want to go. The problem was that she wouldn’t say no because she didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

“Mom,” he warned. “We talked about that already. Tess, honey, go on back to your drawings.”

Tessa nodded and scampered off and Oliver gestured towards the living room. “I know why you’re here and it’s not happening.”

Moira took a seat on the sofa, posing herself so regally as she had been taught since she was a little girl. Oliver took the chair opposite her. “I want to meet this woman, Oliver. I want to know who is going to be around my granddaughter.”

“No, I’m sorry, Mom. She just had surgery after a frightening ordeal and I’m not going to subject her to your scrutiny.”

Years ago, the look she was currently giving him would’ve scared him enough to back down. But not this time. Felicity didn’t deserve her contempt.

Moira scoffed. “Honestly, Oliver, you make me sound like some sort of monster. I would simply like to meet her, that’s all. She seems to have become very important to Tessa and I would like to see why. Is that such a terrible thing? She is my only grandchild, after all.”

 _Ah, here comes the guilt trip._ It was one of the things that Moira Queen knew how to do well, and she hit her mark each time. But this wasn’t about him, it was Felicity’s decision and he couldn’t make it for her.

“I will ask her if she would like to meet you but I can’t promise anything, okay? It’s her choice.”

Moira inclined her head slightly. “Thank you, now was that so hard? Anyway, I also came to talk to you about this _merger_.” She said the word with such disgust in both her tone and expression.

“What about it?” he asked, gearing himself up for a lecture.

“Well, it’s simply not happening, Oliver.”

“Look, Flicity, I made you a unicorn!” Tessa yelled excitedly from the kitchen.

Moira’s eyebrows rose in triumph as Oliver inwardly groaned. _Bad timing, Felicity._ His mother rose and walked through to the kitchen with him following awkwardly behind. He felt the need to warn Felicity but he couldn’t.

“Whoa, that’s awesome, Tessa, thank you. That’s gonna look so great on my wall,” Felicity said, stroking his daughter’s hair. Again, Oliver was amazed that Tessa didn’t try to smooth it back down. She simply shot Felicity a proud, beaming smile.

“Hmm,” Felicity mumbled. “Although, I think I might need a few more. I have big walls and I think that each one should have some of your art on display. What do you think?”

Tessa thought for a moment, her forehead crinkling. “I know what I can draw for you!” Excitedly, she grabbed a different crayon and started working, and it was only then that Felicity glanced up at him.

As soon as she saw his mother her smile froze and she wrapped her robe around her a little tighter. “Oh, hello Mrs Queen, I uh… I didn’t know you were here.”

Moira stepped forward and for some reason, Oliver found himself wanting to step in between them. Which was ridiculous because Felicity didn’t need protection.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Miss Smoak,” Moira said, extending her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were expecting company,” she said to Oliver. “I’ll go back to my room.”

“No, no, don’t be silly. You’re living here for the time being,” Moira said with an eerily polite smile. “Please, stay.”

Felicity met his gaze, hers questioning. He nodded and tried to send a reassuring smile back.

“I would like to get to know the woman who saved my granddaughter. It was very brave of you, Miss Smoak.”

Felicity glanced at the floor and Oliver was beginning to realise that she did that every time someone complimented her.

“It was nothing, really. And please, call me Felicity.”

Moira tilted her head, assessing every inch of the woman in front of her. “Very well, Felicity. And it most certainly was _not_ nothing. I assume you do not have children of your own?”

Felicity frowned and even Oliver wondered where his mother was going with this. “Uh, no, not yet anyway.”

“I would do anything to protect my children.” Moira stared directly into Felicity’s eyes. “Anything.”

“Mom,” Oliver warned. “Felicity shouldn’t really be standing this long. She just had surgery, remember?”

“Oh, yes of course. I apologise, Felicity. Shall we go through to the living room?”

Oliver knew that it wasn’t so much a question as it was a request. So, instead of standing there watching Felicity’s discomfort, he walked up to her and placed a hand on her elbow. “Come on, you should be resting.”

He lowered his head and said quietly, “I am so sorry about this.”

She didn’t resist his help so he took that as a win and led her through to the nearest chair, while he and his mother sat on the sofa.

“How are you feeling, Felicity?” Moira asked. “Are you recovering well?”

 _Where_ is _she going with this?_ Oliver wondered. He knew his mother well and she was definitely fishing for something. His stomach was starting to clench with apprehension.

Resting a hand on her stomach, Felicity smiled or tried to, at least. She looked so uncomfortable. “I’m feeling better, thank you. But I still have a way to go yet. I can definitely say that I’m not a fan of knives though, not that I was before, but especially now since my insides were practically shish kabobbed.”

Her eyes slammed shut and although Oliver knew that she was berating herself for rambling, he found it refreshing. His mother, on the other hand, clearly did not.

“Yes, I can imagine it’s an awful thing to go through. It’s a good thing you have medical insurance through our company, surgery alone is not cheap.”

Felicity looked confused. “Is it too much? Does the insurance not cover all the treatment I had?”

Moira waved a hand. “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant, dear. Your coverage is excellent, I can assure you. I am merely concerned, that’s all. You’re fairly young, do you have any outstanding tuition fees or loans? Do you rent or have a mortgage? Of course, we will be paying you full sick pay until your return and your job is perfectly safe.”

Felicity flicked her gaze up to him and he read the question in her eyes. _Is this an inquisition?_ He honestly didn’t know but he didn’t like where this was heading.

“Yeah, Oliver already informed me of that when I was still in the hospital.”

Moira’s eyes gleamed like a tiger on the hunt. “Was that before or after my son invited you to stay here?”

“Mom!” Oliver was horrified, and more than a little embarrassed. He’d known that his mother wouldn’t just accept Felicity staying here but he hadn’t expected her to be so rude. Moira Queen prided herself on being polite even when she hated the person she was talking to. Another by-product of how she’d been raised.

“What? I am just asking a question, Oliver. There’s no need to get so defensive. Unless there is something else you two would like to tell me.” Moira’s eyes flickered from Felicity to him, and then back again.

“That’s enough!” he yelled. “I am not going to let you just walk into my home and do this. Felicity deserves better than this, she’s done a lot for this family, and I’m not just talking about what she did to save Tessa. She’s great with her, Tess really comes out of her shell when she’s around her. When she’s with Felicity, she isn’t thinking about what happened to her, or the fact that the police still haven’t caught these guys. So, stop this, please.”

Moira blinked a few times at his tone, he’d never spoken to her like that before, but she had to know how unreasonable she was being right now.

“I meant no disrespect,” she said. “But you have to see how it looks from an outsider’s perspective. One who has had to deal with people taking advantage of our family for a lot longer than you, Oliver.” Her tone was soft but her meaning was crystal clear.

Felicity’s face fell and Oliver felt like an ass for putting her in this position in the first place. But then she surprised him. He watched as her entire body language changed and she suddenly seemed taller, her face set in grim determination.

“Mrs Queen, I’m not sure what you think of me exactly, but I think I have an idea. I can assure you that I have no intentions or expectations of compensation or evil plans of any kind.”

“Oh, Felicity, that’s not what I—”

“I know that you think this is a mistake, that Oliver is somehow putting Tessa and maybe himself at risk, but your thinking could not be more wrong. I’m not a threat, I just did what was right, that’s all. All I saw was a little girl who was screaming and terrified as she was being taken away from her father. So, I acted on instinct. I was not a part of any plan to take her, I don’t know who they are. But I do know that I am going to do everything I can to help find them.”

Moira glanced down at her hands and Oliver saw, perhaps for the first time ever, his mother looking chastised.

“But a couple of things I want to make abundantly clear, Mrs Queen…” Felicity leaned forward as far as she could before she winced. “I am not after money and I’m not after Tessa, that little girl has come to mean a lot to me. I _just_ wanted to help. But also, and forgive me for saying this since I don’t know either of you very well, I think you should cut your son some slack. He’s a great father and he’s a generous man, and from what I’ve heard, a great businessman too. He was kind enough to offer me a _safe_ place to rest and recover from my surgery. That’s all. I’m not in this for freebies, I’m paying rent while I’m here and when I’m well enough, I will go back to my own home.”

Moira’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but finally, it stayed closed. It seemed that the great Moira Queen was at a loss for words. _Wow,_ Oliver thought, impressed.

Felicity slowly stood up maintaining her composure but Oliver could see that she was in pain. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go take some pain medication. It was nice to meet you, Mrs Queen.”

Both he and his mother sat in silence for a few moments after Felicity left the room. Oliver heard her check in with Tessa and admire her drawing before she left to go back to her room.

“Oliver…” Moira said quietly.

“I’m not going to talk to her, Mom. You were out of line.”

She turned to face him. “No, that’s not what I was going to say. Although I didn’t care for her tone, she did make a few valid points and… well, maybe I was a little hasty to judge her so quickly.”

“You think?” he said, softening his words with a grin.

She reached out and covered his hand with hers. “My first priority will always be my children and Tessa. _Always._ But that is no excuse for the way I handled that situation. I will apologise when I next see her.”

Now _that_ he hadn’t been expecting. “Wow, that’s… that would be great. Thanks, Mom. Now, if only I could get Susan to see things the same way.”

Moira didn’t even try to hide her dislike for his girlfriend, she never had. “Yes, I am somewhat annoyed that I shared the same opinion as Miss Williams. But I do have to admit that she has a right to be angry about this, Oliver. You are dating her and you just moved a strange woman into your home.”

“She knows the reasons why; I was just trying to do something nice. I really didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Moira cupped his cheek. “Oh, sweetheart, I know that. Give her time, she’ll come around.” Her eyes glinted as she smirked. “Although, if you defended her with as much vigour as you defended Felicity, I don’t think you would have a problem. Now, about this merger.”

She was sneaky, throwing that comment in before he could react to the other one. He’d defended Felicity because she was practically being interrogated in a place where she was supposed to feel safe. Susan… well, she knew what he was doing and why he was doing it. Yes, she had a right to be angry but he hoped that she at least trusted him. Without that, they had no relationship.

“Oh, Mom, do we really have to do this now?” he said with a groan.

“Just listen. Maybe I overreacted a little. I still don’t think it’s a good idea and I will not vote for it to happen _but_ I trust you and I trust your decisions. So, if you do the proper research and are convinced it’s the best way forward… I’ll consider it.”

Oliver’s brows rose. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with my mother.”

Moira chuckled. “Something Felicity said about you being a great businessman. She was right. I should have more faith in you, Oliver. I know that it wasn’t easy for you to take over the company when your father died. But I am extremely proud of the way you’ve handled it. Your father would be proud too.”

That knocked him sideways, he had never heard those words before and now that they were out there, he didn’t know how to react. It was exactly what he’d needed to hear. “Thanks, Mom. I just hope that I don’t mess it up.”

“You’re my son,” Moira said, holding his face in both hands now. “I have no doubt that you will take this company to great heights.”

They shared a brief hug before Moira walked back into the kitchen to say goodbye to Tessa and then he walked her out. She turned back as she stepped out into the main hallway. “Don’t forget the annual meeting is on Monday. I know you have a lot going on but the CEO has to be present.”

Oliver nodded. “I’m aware, Mom. I’ll be there. Oh, and thank you, you know, for not telling Felicity that the company insurance didn't quite cover her full medical bill.”

Moira breathed in deeply. "I'll admit that I wasn't too happy when I found out that you covered the rest of the bill, but you were right. We do owe it to her. I'll see you on Monday."

He watched her until she got to the elevator and then closed the door, a strange feeling in his chest. He wanted to go and check on Felicity but realised that she probably wanted to be alone. That situation had started out exactly as he had expected, but the end result had thrown him for a loop.

Felicity had not only stood up for herself, remarkably so, against his mother, but she’d also defended him. A man she barely knew. She had a kind heart; he didn’t need a history of knowing her to see that. But that inner strength, it was… impressive. She’d managed to make Moira Queen step back and really take a look at how she was treating the people around her.

There was definitely more to Felicity Smoak than meets the eye.

* * *

“What did the cops want?” Mack asked as Susan entered the basement.

She stopped dead, levelling him with a glare. “How the hell are you spying on me? Did you plant something on me?”

Mack grinned as he picked up his cigarette from the ashtray on the table next to him. He took a long pull on it, inhaled, and then blew it out slowly. _Son of a bitch is enjoying this_. “Tell me!”

“I just happened to notice the police cruiser parked in front of the Star. I assume they were there for you.”

She really hated this guy. His partner, who was alarmingly somewhere else right now, was not so bad. But Mack? He was careless and mean, and worst of all, he was smug. “I don’t know why you’re so happy about it. If they find anything on me, it all comes back to you. Which one of us is likely to do better in the judicial system?”

That got him, his smirk dropped and Susan had the pleasure of seeing him rattled even if it was just for a second. “So, what did they want then?”

“Where’s Alex?” She didn’t have time for this, she needed to get over to Oliver’s place and play the doting girlfriend. It hadn’t been hard to do in the beginning, he was attractive and smart, but ultimately, he was a means to an end.

It wasn’t something she was proud of, particularly since an innocent woman had been dragged into it, but she had no way of backing out now. She’d never been a fan of children but seeing Tessa so upset was starting to get to her, so she’d tried to avoid seeing her whilst making sure Oliver saw enough of her to not raise suspicions. She had to see this through to the end.

Mack stubbed his cigarette out. “He’s on a supply run. I know you told us to lay low but we gotta eat.”

Susan folded her arms. “Apparently you didn’t get that memo when you were stalking me at work. How long has he been gone?”

Mack shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. You gonna answer me or not, what did the cops want?”

Susan let out a sigh. “They wanted my cell phone to check my call log at the time of the kidnapping. Oliver told them that I’d been on the phone to my office.”

“But you were on the phone with me. Tell me you weren’t stupid enough to—”

“I called you on a burner phone, dumbass! I called my office at the same time on my cell and put my boss on mute for a minute so he wouldn’t hear me call you. The time codes match up and Lance was satisfied. For now.”

Mack nodded but he didn’t look happy, although to be honest, he rarely ever looked happy. “Okay so, what about the witness? Have you dealt with her yet?”

“I’m working on that. I’m heading over to Oliver’s place when I leave here. She’ll be easy enough to get to there.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I have no idea yet. But I’ll figure it out.” She turned to head back towards the stairs but stopped when he called her.

“If you don’t take care of her, I will.”

Susan didn’t doubt that. “Just text me when Alex gets back.”

* * *

Felicity had just woken up from a nap when she heard voices in the kitchen. Carefully, she got up and slipped into her robe, and then walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.

“She’s taking a nap,” she heard Oliver say. “We had a visit from my mother earlier.”

“Actually, I’m wide awake now.” She sent him a grin as she walked into the kitchen to see John Diggle sitting at the breakfast bar.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Oliver asked.

“A little better, thank you.” She was probably imagining the happy look in his eyes when he saw her. No, she was _definitely_ imagining it. Because it just wasn’t possible. Shaking herself out of those ridiculous thoughts, she leaned against the bar, sighing in relief when he wordlessly handed her a cup of coffee. Her fingers brushed against his slightly as she took it, and that same spark she’d felt in the hospital made itself present again.

She pressed her lips together, determined to ignore it and the fact that he was rubbing his fingers against his jeans as if he’d felt it too. Instead, she focused on her coffee. It was perfect, just the way she liked it, and she wondered when he’d taken the time to memorise that.

“Hey, Felicity,” Diggle said, raising his cup to her in greeting. “It’s good to finally see you up and about. You look… rested.” Felicity chuckled at the expression on his face as if he thought he’d messed up.

“It’s okay, Digg, you can tell me I look like I slept in a bush, I promise I won’t hurt you. Much.”

He gently swivelled from side to side on his stool and smiled. “No, you don’t. You look good for someone who’s just had surgery.”

“Which is code for ‘you look like crap’.”

His eyes widened a little as Oliver took a sip of his coffee to disguise his amusement. “That’s not what I meant. You look great.”

She couldn’t keep a straight face anymore, so she tilted her head and laughed. “I’m just teasing, and thank you. Although, this rat’s nest could definitely do with a trim. I’ve been meaning to get it cut for a while.”

Oliver smiled as she twirled a strand around her finger. “It looks nice, Felicity.”

Her mouth opened and then closed again. She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she muttered her thanks and changed the subject. “So, where’s Tessa?”

“Also taking a nap. She was apparently really tired after all that drawing. She said, and I quote, ‘Being an artist is hard work, Daddy’.”

Felicity chuckled. “Well, she’s not wrong.”

Oliver looked her directly in the eye. “Thank you for that.”

Her heart stuttered at the intensity in his gaze. “For what?”

“For making her feel included. I know that you probably want your own space to rest, and I have told her that, but—”

“Oh, Oliver, you don’t have to worry about that. I love being around her, and while I did need some space earlier, I didn’t want her to feel like I didn’t want her around me, you know? Trust me, kids at that age can take that kind of stuff to heart. Well, at any age, really.”

She saw him and Diggle share a brief glance and decided she didn’t want to know what that was about. She didn’t know how much their background check had told them about her, but the last thing she wanted or needed was their curiosity and pity. “Anyway, while we’re on the subject, I do want to tell you something.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I started researching all the tattoo parlours in Starling City earlier, there are… a lot. But I sent them an image of the tattoo that the sketch artist drew to ask if any of them remember seeing it. It’s quite an intricate design so I can’t imagine the artist wouldn’t remember doing it.”

Both men looked impressed.

“But what if his tattoo wasn’t done in Starling?” Diggle asked.

“Then I’ll reach out further. But I really hope that it pays off because I don’t have any other way of finding him. I tried to track him via traffic cameras but Lance was right, once they got into the Glades it was pretty much impossible.”

“Hey,” Oliver said softly. “You shouldn’t stress yourself out with this, Felicity. You’re supposed to be resting. Lance will find them and you are safe here.”

She gave him what she hoped was a normal smile because her insides were churning at his soft tone. “I know, I just want to help speed up the process if I can.”

“Uh, correct me if I’m wrong,” Diggle said, “but isn’t hacking into traffic cameras illegal?”

 _Dammit,_ she thought. “I was really hoping that wouldn’t come up,” she replied with a grimace. “But don’t worry, I know what I’m doing and _nothing_ can ever be traced back to you, Oliver.”

He frowned for a moment and she wondered if he was going to tell her to pack her things and get out. She wouldn’t blame him but her heart ached a little at the thought. She’d only been here a day but it was nice having company, even if it was only for a couple of weeks.

But then he shrugged, surprising her. “Okay.”

“Okay?” she asked warily.

“Yeah, I trust you, Felicity, and if what you’re doing helps us find them faster, well… that’s great.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Diggle said. “I didn’t mean to make it sound like we’d call the cops on you or anything.”

She smiled at him. “Good to know. I’ll let you know if I get anything. But I’m more concerned with whoever is behind those guys.”

Diggle leaned forward on his elbows. “You think there’s someone else?”

“Well, yeah. Don’t you? I mean, this whole thing stinks of a setup. They could be on their own, I wouldn’t discount the possibility, but I don’t know, something about it just feels…”

“Bigger,” Oliver said, finding the word she’d been looking for.

“Yeah, exactly. I feel like someone else is pulling the strings and those guys are just the brawn.”

Oliver ran a hand through his hair, scratching his scalp a little and she found herself wanting to take over the task for him. _I am so pathetic,_ she thought, shaking her head at herself.

“I talked to Lance this morning, he thinks it’s possible too, but the priority right now is finding the kidnappers before they can try again because most likely, they will.”

Felicity felt the colour drain from her face as her latest nightmare surfaced. That face, those eyes, the cold steel digging into her flesh. She drew in a sharp breath and tried to push it out of her mind. They couldn’t hurt her here.

“Shit! I’m sorry, Felicity, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Oliver stepped around the bar and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “Here, sit down, you’ve gone really pale.”

He helped her up onto a barstool and stood back, arm outstretched as if she might topple over. She needed to say something to make him move away because having him so close was bad. Definitely bad. His scent teased her, making her wish that he’d just draw her into his arms and hold her close. 

Clearing her throat, she forced herself to sit up a little straighter. “I’m okay, it’s fine, Oliver. It’s nothing I haven’t thought of myself. But, can we um, change the subject?”

He nodded and stepped back around the bar. “Diggle brought the ice-cream you mentioned.”

That brightened her spirits a little. “Excellent, Tessa is gonna love that. There’s nothing mint chip can’t fix. I hope you brought enough though, I’m a stress eater.”

Both men let out a tiny huff of laughter before Oliver turned to Diggle. “You want to stay for dinner? There’s plenty.”

The older man shook his head. “Can’t, thanks though. I’m taking Lyla out.”

“Ooh, who’s Lyla?” Felicity asked, picking her coffee back up. “Sorry, that was nosy, wasn’t it? Just chalk it up to my inner office gossip coming out. Not that I am one for gossip actually. I usually just keep to myself at work.”

Diggle chuckled. “How are we ever going to get to know each other if we don’t ask questions? Lyla is my wife. She works for ARGUS.”

“ARGUS? I’ve heard of them but I don’t know a lot about them,” Felicity replied.

“That’s because you’re not supposed to. No one really knows much about them; Lyla doesn’t even know everything and she works there. Anyway, I haven’t seen much of her this week so I’m taking her out to dinner at the finest restaurant I know, courtesy of the Queen name.”

Oliver raised his coffee cup with a grin. “And you’re welcome.”

Diggle scoffed. “Hey, you owe me. I am grossly underpaid and overworked.”

“Oh, come on, if we pay you any more than what we already do we might as well just sign the company over to you.”

Felicity chuckled lightly when Diggle seemed to ponder that for a moment, and then shook his head. “Nah man, I don’t have the patience to run that place. I see what you have to put up with, that’s enough to put anyone off.”

“Okay, so it’s a no for dinner,” Oliver replied, making Felicity wonder exactly what he did have to put up with. She couldn’t imagine that being Moira Queen’s son and running the family company was an easy task.

“Another time, Oliver. Thanks again,” he said, checking his watch. “I should get going, enjoy your ice cream, Felicity. It was nice to see you again.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing more of me. Thanks, Digg.”

As he left, Felicity heard another voice in the hallway, a woman this time. Was there a revolving door to this apartment today? Two seconds later, a tall brunette walked into the kitchen. _Susan Williams._ Starling City Star reporter. She vaguely remembered seeing her on the night of the kidnapping, and she’d seemed nice then.

“Susan,” Oliver said, surprise evident in his tone. “What are you doing here?”

Susan smiled as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Nice to see you too, Oliver.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just that I’m surprised to see you. I thought you said you were busy.”

Susan sat down next to Felicity and extended a hand. “Hi, you must be Felicity Smoak. I’m Susan.”

Felicity shook her hand, a little surprised at the strong grip she had. “That I must be. I mean, I _am_. It’s nice to finally be able to meet you when I’m not lying on the ground bleeding.” She’d gone for a humorous reply but Susan’s face froze and something in her brown eyes flickered.

“Sorry,” she said, apparently having grossed her out. Maybe Susan hated blood, Felicity certainly wasn’t a fan of it. “It’s nice to meet you, Susan.”

“How are you feeling? Oliver said your surgery went well.”

“Oh, I’m doing better, thank you.”

“That’s great to hear. Although, it must be a little weird staying in an unfamiliar place after what you’ve gone through.”

 _Ah, there it is,_ she thought. She’d wondered when Susan would bring up the fact that she was staying here. “A little, but it was so nice of Oliver to offer some security while I recuperate. But as soon as I can manage on my own, I’ll go back home.”

“There’s no rush, Felicity,” Oliver said, but he was looking at Susan, not her.

Susan patted her hand, almost condescendingly, Felicity thought. “Don’t worry, I’m not concerned about you being here.”

Oliver cleared his throat. “Susan, you said you were busy tonight, what’s changed?”

Susan turned to look at him. “I am, but I figured that I’ve been a little _too_ busy lately and neglecting you, especially during such a difficult time. So, I thought we could have dinner tonight if that’s okay?”

Oliver looked at Felicity, then back to Susan. “Yeah, that’s great. I was about to start cooking anyway, wanna help?”

Susan laughed in that annoying way that women do when they’re trying to be flirty but going overboard with it. “Sure, what are we having?”

 _She’s just doing that because she feels threatened with me here._ Felicity wished that she wouldn’t but she didn’t want to give voice to those thoughts, that would be even more awkward.

“I’m just going to head back to my room,” she said, standing slowly.

“Oh, you don’t have to go on my account,” Susan said, running her hand up Oliver’s chest.

 _I get it, Susan, he’s yours, you don’t need to put him on display._ “No, I’m just feeling a little achy so I’m gonna go lie down for a little while.”

“Is it time for more pain meds?” Oliver asked, concern shadowing his eyes.

“No, not yet.”

“Okay, well, I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Thanks.” She got to the doorway and looked back, watching as Susan cupped his face in her hands and then hugged him. Yeah, it was definitely awkward.

~~~~~~

Susan waited until she was gone and then pulled back from Oliver. This was going to be harder than she’d originally thought. She knew Oliver was a good man and he would never cheat on her, but there was something there. Something was brewing, and it made her angry. How was she supposed to get rid of Felicity if Oliver didn’t want her to go?

She saw the way Felicity looked at him, she wasn’t blind. She liked him. But did he like her back? Even if he wasn’t aware of it, and she guessed he probably wasn’t, there was something in the way he looked at her too. He was even keeping track of her medication times and cooking for her! 

“She seems nice,” she said as Oliver moved towards the refrigerator.

“Yeah, she is. Tessa really likes her; I think she’s good for her.”

“I didn’t realise that inviting her to stay meant waiting on her too.” She cursed at herself, that had not sounded as nonchalant as she’d meant it to.

Oliver turned and looked at her warily. “I’m not, but she’s limited to what she can do right now. Besides, it’s the least I can do for her. She never would’ve been in this position if she hadn’t stepped in to help.”

“True,” she said with a nod, hoping she’d saved herself. “I’m so glad she was there that night. I can’t bear to think of what might’ve happened otherwise. I mean, it’s not like I was much help.”

“Hey,” he said softly, pulling her towards him for a hug. “You got hurt too, none of this is your fault.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the creeping guilt away. “Still, I should’ve tried harder. Tessa wouldn’t have been snatched and Felicity wouldn’t have gotten stabbed in the process.”

“It happened too fast for you to react, I don’t blame you for anything,” he replied, kissing her before grabbing a saucepan and placing it on the stove. He paused and then turned back to her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? With Felicity staying here?”

Walking forward, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m not going to lie; I wasn’t at first. I was so angry that she gets to stay here while I can’t even stay for one night. But I do understand why you did it and I’m proud of you for wanting to help her. It’s who you are.”

“Thank you. It _is_ only temporary, you know that, right?”

“I do. It’s okay, Oliver, I’m fine with it.” She wasn’t, not by a long shot, but what choice did she have at this point? No, she had to be careful with how she tackled this. Felicity really did seem like a nice person. But even though Susan didn’t want her to get hurt anymore, she was a problem that needed solving.

Now, more than ever, it was vitally important to get Felicity Smoak out of this apartment. It would have to be done tonight before Mack took matters into his own hands. 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susan stays for dinner but the evening doesn't go to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I'm back. Super sorry for the wait again everyone. I recently got called back to work so between working full time and writing this, I've fallen a little behind. Which is why I am updating tonight instead of last night. I hope you're all well and I really hope that you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Please be patient with me, I am trying to get it written as fast as I can whilst also having to do it around working. Thanks again for all your wonderful comments :D
> 
> Enjoy :D

Felicity sat on her bed, mulling over her decision. She wanted to stay in her room for the rest of the night, but since Oliver had cooked for them all, that seemed a little rude. The last thing she wanted to be was rude. But sitting here in the silence seemed like a better alternative to sharing a dinner table with his girlfriend. She felt like she’d be intruding on something.

Tessa hadn’t seemed all that happy about it either, though Felicity didn’t understand why. Her mood had soured a little since Susan had arrived. Maybe she just wasn’t used to her yet. She knew from experience that it took a lot to get used to your father dating someone new. Though it was a little jarring seeing such a normally sweet girl suddenly scowling.

She shook her head and stood up, heading towards her closet. The sooner she went out there, the sooner she could retreat to the safety of her room. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to sit out there wearing pj’s and a bathrobe. She selected the black sweat pants that Thea had bought for her, and a dark purple t-shirt. Comfy but cute. Instead of the slippers she’d been wearing, she chose a comfortable pair of her favourite flat shoes. She kept her hair tied up in the ponytail she’d had in all day but decided to go against putting make-up on. She didn’t want Susan thinking that she’d made an effort simply because _she_ was all dolled up.

Okay, that wasn’t fair. She’d most likely just finished work and had come from the office. Reporters had to dress smart, right? With one last look in the mirror, Felicity took a deep breath and left her room.

Entering the kitchen, she saw Oliver and Susan standing at the stove with their backs to her, laughing about something, so she quickly went through to the living room to find Tessa sulking on the sofa.

Taking a seat next to her, Felicity waited until the little girl looked at her. “Hey, what’s up?”

Tessa sighed dramatically. “Nothing.”

“Then why are you moping? Come on, you can tell me anything. You know that.”

With another little sigh, Tessa moved so that she was leaning against Felicity, so Felicity moved her arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Is it your head? Does it still hurt?”

“No, it feels better. I just…”

She trailed off, making Felicity frown. She’d never seen Tessa this quiet before. She seemed so down and she didn’t like it.

“I don’t like Susan,” she whispered, looking up at Felicity with sorrow in her eyes. “That’s a bad thing to say, isn’t it?”

 _I think I’m right there with you, kid._ “Well, why don’t you like her?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes she tells Daddy not to cuddle me.”

For such a tactile child, Felicity could understand why that would upset Tessa. “Is that all?”

She shook her head, tears appearing in her eyes. “No.”

“Listen to me, not liking someone doesn’t make you a bad person, you could never be a bad girl, Tessa. But maybe you should give her more of a chance. She might be really nice. Did you have fun with her at the zoo?”

Reluctantly, she nodded. “I think so.”

“Maybe you’re just not used to having her around yet. But I do know one thing.”

“What?” she asked, looking up at her with those soulful eyes. In that moment Felicity knew that there was nothing she wouldn’t do for this child. “I know that your dad would never bring someone into your home without you being comfortable with it. You’re his first priority. Okay?”

She thought about it for a long moment and then slowly nodded. “Okay.”

“But if it’s bothering you this much maybe you should talk to him. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“But Daddy likes her.”

Felicity knew that Tessa would rather keep this all in than upset anyone, it was just her nature. However, before she could reply, Oliver entered the room. When he saw the two of them sitting together, he smiled. “Hey, Felicity. I thought you were still in your room. Are you feeling better?”

She smiled up at him as he stood there wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. “I’m getting there, thank you. I just thought I’d keep Tessa company until dinner’s ready.”

“Speaking of which,” he said, gesturing towards the kitchen. “Dinner is served.”

For Tessa’s benefit more than anything else, Felicity injected a little enthusiasm into her reply. “Great! I’m starving, come on, Tessa.”

She shuffled herself to the end of the sofa so that she could use the armrest to pull herself up, but her body froze when Oliver held a hand out to her.

“Let me help.”

Swallowing hard, she placed her hand in his, ignoring the fact that it fit perfectly and her skin practically sang at his touch. He helped her up so gently, one hand holding hers, the other cupping her elbow. When she was upright, she cleared her throat and pulled her t-shirt down. “Uh, thanks.”

He looked down at her with eyes that would make any woman swoon. _Which is totally not what you’re doing right now, huh? Oh, I am in trouble._

“You’re welcome. Come on, Tess, time for dinner.”

* * *

“So, Felicity,” Susan began the conversation as soon as they were all seated. “Oliver tells me you work at Queen Consolidated.”

“I do, in the IT Department,” she replied, reaching for the large bowl of salad in the centre of the table. Oliver scooped it up before she could, then he stood and leaned over to put some onto her plate. He’d been doing that since she’d arrived here, knowing that she couldn’t lift anything heavy. It was a sweet gesture, but for the first time, she felt a little awkward about it. Especially since she could see Susan staring from the corner of her eye.

“Do you like it there?” she asked, putting on a smile that Felicity could see was a little strained.

“Yeah, it’s a great place to work.”

She wanted to bolt back to her room so badly, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Tessa sat quietly at her side, she would’ve politely excused herself. But she couldn’t abandon Tessa, not when she was clearly uncomfortable around Susan.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Tess?” Oliver asked, piling some salad onto his plate.

Tessa leaned her chin on her fist. “I’m not hungry.”

“Why not? You haven’t eaten anything since lunch.” Oliver looked to Felicity in confusion and she shrugged, unsure of what to say.

“I’m just not hungry, Daddy.” There was more than a little bite in her tone and Oliver blinked in surprise.

“I thought turkey dinosaurs were your favourite.”

Tessa pushed some peas around her plate with her fork but didn’t attempt to eat.

Susan leaned forward, trying to catch Tessa’s eye but she kept her head down. “Tess, come on, honey, you have to eat something.”

Tessa’s head flew up, an angry frown creasing her forehead. “I don’t want to! I said I’m not hungry.”

“Hey!” Oliver interjected. “That’s enough, Tessa. What’s gotten into you?”

Felicity felt her heart stop when she looked at her father with anger.

“I want to go to my room now.”

Oliver placed his interlinked hands on the table. “No, you are going to sit there, young lady, and tell me why you are being so rude.”

“I’m not.” She crossed her arms and threw herself back into her chair. A few seconds passed, with both of them just staring at each other.

“Yes, you are.” Oliver sighed. “This isn’t like you, baby. What’s going on?”

“My head hurts. Can I go to my room now? Please?” Felicity’s heart squeezed painfully. Tessa was lying in order to save her father’s feelings. _How is she only five years old?_ She seemed so mature.

Oliver’s frown deepened in concern. “Okay, you can go to your room but I’m going to take you back to see Lisa tomorrow.”

Tessa didn’t reply as she hopped off her chair and headed towards the door, but Felicity caught the look she gave Susan. Something was definitely wrong here.

“Did she say anything to you, Felicity?” Oliver asked.

“No, not really. She seemed quiet though. Which is a little weird because she was fine earlier.”

Susan chuckled awkwardly and started tucking into her food. “Well, I guess it’s going to take longer than I thought for her to warm up to me. I thought we were doing so well.”

Oliver gave her a sad smile and covered her hand with his. Okay, now _this_ was the definition of awkward. Felicity was now literally the third wheel. She was about to take her leave when Susan spoke again.

“You know, you shouldn’t let her talk to you like that, Oliver. She needs boundaries.”

Oliver looked up from under his lashes, clearly unhappy with her comment. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t mean punish her or anything. But that kind of back talk and yelling… she’s at such a young age where if you let her do it, she’ll grow up thinking that it’s okay.”

Oliver opened his mouth to speak but Felicity had heard enough and interrupted him. “Tessa doesn’t ‘back talk’ Susan. She’s a very sweet girl who has an enormous heart, one that makes her hold everything inside when she’s scared it will hurt someone she loves. She is going through a very tough time right now, she’s terrified, and some of that will likely manifest itself in the way it has. She’s not acting out; she’s trying to express her feelings but she doesn’t quite know how.”

Fire ignited in Susan’s eyes as she stared at Felicity and she expected her to take her down at any moment. But she was surprised—no, shocked—when Susan simply closed her eyes and shook her head.

“You’re right, Felicity. I hadn’t considered that and it isn’t really my place to say anything anyway. I’m an outsider, after all.”

“That’s not what I meant, Susan. I just wanted you to see that she’s not being a bad child, that’s all.”

“I know that.” She turned to Oliver and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know much about children; I’m an only child and I’ve never really been around a kid this much before. My father was… very strict with his rules. I realise now that I was starting to sound like him and I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he replied, but Felicity could see from the slight raise of his eyebrow that it wasn’t. “I’m going to go and talk to her, though. Something’s wrong and I can’t bear it when she’s upset. Excuse me, ladies.”

 _Great,_ Felicity thought. _Alone with a woman who most likely hates me. This should be fun._

It didn’t take long before Susan calmly placed her fork down next to her plate, and then she looked Felicity dead in the eye. “I didn’t appreciate that, Felicity.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you look bad in front of Oliver.” _You kind of did that yourself anyway._

“I’m aware of that, and I know that your intentions were good. I can’t fault you for that, you and Tessa seem to have developed quite a bond. It’s nice.”

“But?” Felicity asked, sensing there was one coming.

Susan pursed her lips, studying Felicity with a critical eye. “I don’t want to seem like the jealous type because I’m really not. I’m glad that Oliver offered you a safe place to stay while you recover. But you have to understand that it’s a little difficult for me. I see you with Tessa and I can’t help but wonder why she’s so comfortable around you, but not me. And I’ve known her for months now.”

How was she supposed to answer that? Susan was right, after all. If the situation were reversed, she was sure she’d have a hard time seeing her boyfriend’s daughter grow close to a practical stranger rather than her. That must be hard. Although, she was sure she wouldn’t tell a father not to hug his own child.

“I’ve tried so hard to fit in with her, but everything I do has little to no effect. I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle.”

Felicity resisted the urge to squirm in her seat when tears welled in Susan’s eyes. “Maybe you just need to give it some more time.”

Susan sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “I feel like if I can’t get close to Tessa, I’m going to lose Oliver. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me but his daughter is his first priority, as she should be. It’s hard to compete with that. And then, there’s you.”

Felicity frowned. “What about me?”

She smiled sadly. “You have a crush on Oliver, don’t you?”

Felicity spluttered at the absurd statement. _Absurd? Yeah, you keep telling yourself that._ “No, why would you say that? I’m only here because Oliver was trying to be kind, I have no intentions whatsoever. Even if I did have a crush on him, which I do not, I would never do anything about it. I’m not that type of person and I know he would never do anything to hurt you. You have nothing to worry about, nothing, nada, zip.” _Okay, you need to stop talking, like, now!_

Susan tilted her head and gave her a ‘you can’t fool me’ look. “Felicity, I see how you look at him. I saw it in the first five seconds of meeting you. You like him.”

 _Crap!_ Had she really been that obvious? Her stomach swirled nervously. “I don’t, Susan. Not like that.”

“I know that Oliver is a good man, he would never cheat on me. But then, all I hear him talk about lately is you. You and Tessa to be exact. Did you know that he’s never allowed me to stay over here in the months that we’ve been dating? Not once. Then he meets you… and suddenly you’re living with him.”

Felicity swallowed back the burst of shocked laughter. She had a tendency to laugh in awkward situations. Or ramble, she just couldn’t bear the silence so she always had to try and fill it, no matter how much her brain tried not to. “I’m not living _with_ him. It’s just temporary.”

Susan leaned her elbows on the table and closed her eyes. “Oliver is a good man, but he _is_ a man and he’s not blind. I saw the way he looked at you too. There was something there and it was enough to make me wonder. You’re a very attractive woman, Felicity. Try to put yourself in my position.”

Felicity understood her perspective and she had to respect that Susan was Oliver’s girlfriend and that she was right. Not about him finding her attractive, that was so far from the truth it was actually quite funny, but the rest made sense to her. When tears appeared again in Susan’s eyes, she couldn’t help but frown. She hated seeing anyone upset, but this felt strange. Like it was for show. Guilt trip, maybe?

“I think you’re overreacting a little bit, Susan. If the only good thing to come out of this mess is that I make a new friend in Oliver? I’ll be happy for it because it’s always nice to have friends. As for anything else? It would never happen for a multitude of reasons.”

Her tone must’ve set something off in Susan because the tears suddenly stopped and her eyes took on that fiery look again.

Susan took in a breath and held it for a few seconds before blowing it out slowly. When she spoke, it was in a calm tone that her expression did not reflect. “I don’t think I’m overreacting at all, Felicity. I think maybe you’re just incredibly naïve. Oliver is a very protective man and you’re vulnerable right now and in danger. One thing can often lead to another.”

Something about the way she mentioned Felicity being in danger set her on edge. But she was just imagining that, right? “Well, not with me.”

Susan smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Don’t you think that it’s inappropriate though? Staying with your boss is bad enough, I’m sure the gossip mill is working overtime at QC. But staying with him whilst having a crush on him? Knowing he has a partner? It’s… it’s just not right. Surely you see that.”

She did, actually, and that was why she felt guilty. She’d been trying so hard not to acknowledge it and she’d thought she was doing well until now. But if it was obvious enough for Susan to pick up on, had Oliver seen it too? Was he just trying to save her dignity by ignoring it? _Oh no, oh no. What if he is?_

“I’m sorry, Susan. I understand what you’re saying, I really do. In fact, those are the very things I mentioned to Oliver when he picked me up from the hospital. Well, not the crush part. But he assured me that it would be okay. That you would understand.”

“And what about Tessa? Will she understand when you suddenly go back home? That little girl is growing more and more attached to you and it will hurt her enough when you leave. Why string that out?”

 _Okay, ouch._ She had a good point there but it struck her hard. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Tessa in _any_ way.

Susan shook her head and sighed. “Look, I am asking—no, I am _begging—_ please consider going home. Oliver will hire somebody to help you and protect you at your place. I just… I know that it’s selfish of me to ask because you’ve been through a lot too but just consider it. Please.”

Felicity swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump growing in her throat. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew that it was probably the best thing for all parties involved. She closed her eyes and nodded. “Okay, I’ll leave. Tomorrow.”

Susan sat back, smiling in what Felicity thought was relief but there was a small hint of satisfaction in there. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”

With a sinking feeling in her gut, Felicity stood up and pushed her chair under the table. “I’m just going to lie down for a while, please tell Oliver that I said thank you for dinner and that I’m okay, just tired.”

“I will, and thank you again, Felicity. For what you did for Tessa, and what you’re doing now, for me.”

Felicity gave her a tight smile and left the room, stopping as she entered the hallway. She leaned against the wall, hand against her aching stomach, and breathed deeply. After a few seconds, she collected herself and was just starting to head towards her bedroom when she heard Susan’s voice in the dining room.

“It’s me, it’s done. Yes, I’m sure!”

She said nothing else, but that was suspicious in itself. Who had she called, what was done? Why was she speaking so quietly? Felicity didn’t know, but something about her wasn’t right. Maybe Susan Williams needed to be looked into as well. It would go against her moral code, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

She intended to find out just what that was. Starting with whoever she was on the phone to at the time of the attempted abduction.

* * *

“Tess, come on honey. Please talk to me.” Oliver sat on the edge of his daughter’s bed, watching as she curled in on herself with her back towards him. This wasn’t like her at all and he was scared that the trauma was starting to get to her in a way that he couldn’t help her with.

“Tess? It’s okay, you know. You can tell me anything in the world, sweetie, you know that. I’m always here for you.”

Tessa sniffled and turned her head just enough for him to see her red-rimmed eyes. _Oh, sweetheart please don’t cry._

“What is it, baby? What’s bothering you?”

She stayed silent for so long that Oliver was sure she wasn’t going to speak and he didn’t know how to get her to talk. This was all new to him. All he could do was wait and stroke her curls to soothe her pain. Eventually, she slowly uncurled herself and turned towards him. His heart ached to hold her but he didn’t think she would let him just yet.

“Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not mad, Daddy.”

“Then what’s wrong?” he asked, softly trailing a finger down her cheek.

“I don’t want to tell you, you’ll get mad at me,” she said, looking away.

He grasped her chin gently and forced her to look at him. “Hey, nothing in this world could make me mad at you, baby girl. Please, tell me why you’re so sad.”

“You promise you won’t yell?”

“Cross my heart.”

Tessa looked down at her hands in her lap, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. What on earth had his daughter so scared that she couldn’t tell him for fear that he would yell at her?

“I don’t like Susan,” she whispered. It was so quiet that Oliver struggled to understand her words.

“You don’t like what, honey?”

She raised her head only a little and swallowed. “I don’t like Susan.”

Oliver frowned. “I don’t understand, I thought you did. What happened?” When she hesitated again, looking nervous, he tried to smile. “It’s okay, you can tell me.”

“She makes me feel like I’m a bad girl. Sometimes when she looks at me, she looks mad.”

Oliver took a deep breath and tried to think of how best to approach this. Tessa wasn’t a liar, she always told him how she was feeling. So, the fact that she’d kept this hidden was a surprise to him. But he had never seen Susan look at her that way, in fact, she was worried that Tessa didn’t like her and couldn’t understand why. So, then why was his daughter so upset?

He wasn’t stupid, he realised that Tessa’s behaviour and mood had changed drastically since Susan had arrived but he didn’t think it was this bad. “Okay, but you know that that’s not true, right? You’re not bad and she isn’t mad at you.”

Tessa shrugged and held her teddy bear, one that Tommy had gotten for her when she was born. It was a little raggedy by now, but he’d never throw it away. It held too much sentimental value for both of them. She looked up at him with those bright blue eyes filled with tears that were on the verge of spilling over onto her cheeks. She was his priority, if she didn’t like the person he was dating, he wouldn’t force her to. But at the same time, it wasn’t fair to Susan.

“You really don’t like her? At all?”

Tessa shook her head. “She makes me feel nervous, Daddy.”

“Oh, sweetie, why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“Because I didn’t want to upset you. You like her.”

He gathered her onto his lap and hugged her close, relieved when she curled into him. “Well, yes, I like her. But I _love_ you. Would it help if you spent some time with her alone? Maybe she could take you shopping one day.”

Tessa’s head shot up so fast she almost hit his chin. “No! I don’t want to go anywhere with her, Daddy.”

“Okay, okay. It’s alright, I won’t make you go if you really don’t want to.”

 _She really doesn’t like her. But why? Am I missing something?_ He meant what he’d said, he would never force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. But what did that mean for his relationship? Maybe he should’ve introduced them sooner. Although, he doubted that would’ve changed the outcome. He didn’t want to hurt Susan, but he had to put his daughter first.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, listen to me, I am _not_ in any way angry with you. Okay?”

She grabbed his hand and held it against her chest, snuggling into him. “But you’ll be sad. I don’t want you to be sad.” Then she sat upright and gasped. “I know! Maybe you could be with Flicity!”

Oliver choked out a laugh. “What? Where did that come from?”

“She’s real nice, Daddy. She always makes me feel happy. Don’t you think she’s nice?”

“Of course, but that doesn’t mean that… I mean, I don’t really know her.”

“She’s funny, too. I like when she rambles.”

He could feel his cheeks starting to heat up as his daughter stared at him. He didn’t know how to react but he thought it was better to keep things on topic rather than veer off into fantasy land.

“I know she is, honey. She’s very nice. Okay, listen. I will have a talk with Susan and we’ll figure all of this out, okay?”

Just like that, Tessa’s face fell and she slumped against him, and in that moment, he knew that he would have to make the hard decision here.

“Okay, Daddy.” She sounded so defeated. Did she really think that he wouldn’t choose her first? That was crazy.

“Okay. So, do you want to come and eat? You’ve barely eaten all day.”

“Can’t I eat in my room? Just this once, Daddy, please?”

Normally, he had a rule about only eating at the dining table or in the kitchen. But she had been through so much this week, more than any five-year-old should ever have to deal with.

“Sure, baby. Just this once. I’ll bring you something in a few minutes, okay?”

“Okay.” She waited until he got to the door and then called his name. “Daddy? I love you.”

Oliver’s heart melted. “I love you too, baby girl.”

He left the room and was surprised to see Felicity standing outside in the hallway. “Hey,” he said, noticing that something was off with her. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost. “Is everything okay?”

Her eyes flitted around everywhere except to him. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just going to lie down for a little while. I think my painkillers are wearing off.”

He frowned, she’d had her last dose an hour ago, they shouldn’t be wearing off already. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, looking up at him but again, no direct eye contact. “I’m all good, Oliver. In fact, I was thinking that maybe I should go home tomorrow. I’m feeling a lot better now.”

 _Where did that come from?_ She wasn’t ready to be by herself just yet, she could barely lift a plate at the moment. Not to mention the fact that she was still in danger. He stepped a little closer and laid a hand on her shoulder, pushing how it felt to the back of his mind. “What’s wrong?”

The smile she flashed him was convincing but it was a little too bright, so he knew something was going on. However, he wasn’t prepared for how it stung when she shrugged his hand away.

“Nothing’s wrong, Oliver. I’m totally fine, I swear. I just miss my home, that’s all.”

 _No, that’s not all_ , he thought, and he hated to think it but he had an inkling as to why. Because she’d been fine before dinner, before he’d left her alone with Susan. “Did Susan say something to you?”

When Felicity didn’t answer, he gently tipped her chin up with his finger. Looking deep into her eyes, he tried to tell her that it was okay to tell him the truth. “Felicity, did she say something to you?”

Felicity pressed her lips together, her eyes taking on a watery sheen and Oliver had his answer. “What did she say?”

“She uh, she asked me to leave because…”

“Because?”

She closed her eyes for a brief moment and then looked up into his. “She asked me to leave because she thinks that me being here is inappropriate, that I shouldn’t be staying with my boss. I mean, she’s not really wrong on that one, Oliver.”

“She had no right to say that to you, Felicity,” he replied, angry at the fact that Susan was trying to run his life.

“That didn’t bother me so much. But she also said that I’m not being fair to Tessa. That when I do eventually leave, it will hurt her even more.” Her lips quivered, only slightly, but he caught it. “That is something that I never want to do. So, I agreed, but only for Tessa.”

His anger continued to build; it was one thing to ask her to go because of their relationship. On some level, he could understand that even if he didn’t like it. But to use Tessa? That was inexcusable. “She should never have said that. I understand what you’re saying, it’s something I was thinking about too—” Felicity’s face dropped and he rushed to stop her misunderstanding him. “But when you do eventually leave, which will not be tomorrow, by the way, you will still be able to see Tessa.”

“Really?” she asked, her voice taking on a hopeful tone.

“Really. I’m not blind I can see how close you two have grown. It would be wrong for me to just keep her away from you once you’re gone. She’s going through so much shit right now but when it’s over I want her to still be able to see you. If that’s what you want, of course.”

Finally, she smiled and it made him feel warm somehow. “That would be great. I didn’t want to assume but I would like to keep in contact.”

“Then you will.” He reached out and squeezed her shoulder and this time she didn’t pull away.

“But… I still promised that I would go. Susan is worried that she’s losing you. I don’t want to get in the middle of that. _Not_ that I’m _in_ the middle, because that would be crazy but—”

“Felicity,” he whispered. She stopped talking and looked at him. “You’re not going anywhere unless _you_ really want to, that is. Do you want to go?”

Shyly, she shook her head, that adorable blush appearing once again.

“So, please stay. You still need to rest and it would haunt me if I let you go and something happened to you.”

“But what about Susan?”

He drew in a deep breath and looked down the hall towards the dining room. What was he going to do? “I’ll handle it, don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

She still looked concerned though, rubbing her hands together. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be the cause of any problems between you two.”

“You’re not. There’s a lot more going on than even I realised.”

Felicity nodded. “So, Tessa told you then.”

He rose his eyebrows, understanding what she was referring to. “You knew? When did she tell you?”

“Just before dinner when we were in the living room. She was so upset that she was going to hurt you because she knows that you like Susan.”

Oliver rubbed a hand down his face. “Why didn’t she tell me sooner? I really thought she liked her. She always tells me everything. But more than that, I thought she knew that she is always the most important person in my life.”

Felicity grabbed his hand, moving it away from his face. “She knows that. She just didn’t want you to do anything that would make you unhappy just to please her. Your daughter has such a big heart, Oliver. I think she gets that from you.”

Tessa was his heart and soul and it made him happy that Felicity could see that in her. “Thank you. I’m glad that you’re in her life, Felicity.”

“Me too.”

“Okay, so we’re all good here? No more talk of going home before you’re ready?”

She looked down to where she was still holding his hand and quickly let go. “Yeah, we’re all good.” She stepped towards her bedroom door. “Goodnight, Oliver.”

“Goodnight, Felicity. Sleep well.” Once she was inside, Oliver walked down the hall towards the dining room, preparing himself for what he now knew he had to do. If he was going to be completely honest with himself, he’d known for a while now. Tessa had just been the deciding factor.

Susan was still sitting at the table scrolling through her phone when he walked in.

“Sorry for taking so long, Susan,” he said, her head jolting up to look at him.

“Oh, that’s okay, Oliver. I kept myself busy. Is Tessa okay?”

Oliver returned to his seat next to her and studied her. What was it about Susan that Tessa didn’t like? What wasn’t he seeing that literally everyone else in his life saw? His mother, Thea, Tessa, even Walter, they all disliked her. Some more than others. His mother flat out hated her and made no effort to hide the fact. So, what was it? It couldn’t just be the fact that she was a reporter. It had to be something else.

“Oliver? Are you okay?”

“Hmm?” He snapped out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah I’m fine. Tessa’s going to stay in her room, she’s still a little upset.”

Susan grabbed his hand and suddenly he realised that it felt different to when Felicity had done the same thing not five minutes ago. Not good or bad, just different. That was when he realised that maybe Tessa hadn’t pulled her idea of him and Felicity being together out of thin air. Maybe she’d picked up on something. Sure, he liked Felicity. Who wouldn’t? She was a nice person and great to be around. But did he have feelings for her? He didn’t think so but… he didn’t know.

Either way, it wasn’t fair to Susan and only solidified in his mind that he had to do the right thing by everyone here. “Susan, I think we need to talk.”

Immediately, she let go of his hand and sat back, her spine straight, her expression wary. “If this is about me telling you not to let Tessa talk to you like that, I already said I was sorry.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not that.”

Her brow furrowed. “She _really_ doesn’t like me, does she?”

What was he supposed to say to that? _Yeah, you’re right. She doesn’t like you at all._ Leaning back in his chair, he placed his hands in his lap. “It’s not that, either. I just…”

Her eyes narrowed. “This is about Felicity, isn’t it? She ran straight to you and told you what I said to her.”

“She didn’t _run_ straight to me, Susan. She was heading to her room just as I was leaving Tessa’s. But yes, after having to persuade her, she finally told me. Why did you ask her to leave? You know that it’s only been a week since her surgery. She’s not ready yet.”

With a huff of frustration, Susan crossed her arms over her chest. “Because things are changing, Oliver! Between us! I feel it, I can feel you pulling away from me. That only started when _she_ got here. I know that you were just trying to do the right thing but did you ever think about how it would affect me?”

He hadn’t, and he regretted that. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I thought you understood that.”

“Well, you did and I don’t. What’s so special about her, huh? You don’t know anything about her!”

He was getting frustrated now. “And you do?”

“I might!” she yelled back, breathing heavily before she softened her voice. “I might have a lead on some information about her.”

“What kind of information?”

Susan sighed deeply. “Information that she was involved in the plot to kidnap Tessa. When it went south, she had to improvise and find a way of getting into your life so she could get close to Tessa.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it? Think about it, Oliver. She works in your building. She knows you. She was there in that alleyway at _exactly_ the right time. She’s gotten close to Tessa. She’s getting closer to you. I am telling you; she’s involved and I can’t let you be blindsided by this.”

No, there was no way… was there? “She’s not involved, Susan.”

Susan threw her hands up and growled. “You are so stubborn! Why can’t you admit that I might be right about this?”

“Because I did my research on her! I’m actually insulted that you think I wouldn’t, that I would put my daughter in more danger by allowing Felicity to get close to her.”

“That’s not what I’m saying—”

“That’s exactly what you’re saying. You don’t trust Felicity, that’s fine, but you don’t get to say whether she can stay here or not. I checked on her myself and so did Diggle.”

“I wonder if she’d be so grateful to you if she knew about that.”

Oliver paused. Was that a threat? Was she really that petty? “Felicity already knows and she understood. She even approved of it. Look, she saved Tessa, that’s all I care about right now and I want to do right by her and make sure that she stays safe. That’s all. If you really don’t trust me, if you can’t understand… I don’t know if we should be together.”

“What?” she said, blinking in shock.

“Without trust, Susan, there is no relationship.”

Susan stood up fast, knocking her chair to the ground behind her. “You can’t be serious! You do this behind my back and I’m the one who has trust issues?”

“I didn’t hide anything from you, I told you that I asked her to stay here.”

“Yeah, a full day _after_ you’d already done it. What happened to asking me first?”

Oliver sighed. “You’re right, I should’ve _discussed_ it with you first, and I already apologised for that, it was a spur of the moment decision. But that still doesn’t give you the right to kick her out.”

“Oh my God, I did _not_ kick her out! I asked her to consider leaving because I feel like you are slipping through my fingers and I can’t stop it! She said she understood and would leave tomorrow. She understood that it hurt to see Tessa so comfortable with her and not me. Why do you want her to stay so badly?”

He didn’t know the answer to that but he knew whatever he said would set Susan off even more. So, he went for the truth. “Because Tessa wants her here and because she is not ready to be on her own right now. You seem to forget that she’s also still in danger. Are you really heartless enough to send her back home on her own where anything could happen to her?”

“Of course not,” she spat. “But are you really so clueless that you can’t see that she has a crush on you? Or what that could do to us?”

Oliver sat back, her words ringing in his head. Felicity had a crush on him? No, that couldn’t be true. Sure, she blushed a lot when he was around but he just figured that she was a little uncomfortable being vulnerable around him. He pushed it out of his mind and focused on the woman in front of him. “And again, we come back to the issue of trust.”

“No, it’s not about trust, this is about her being someone potentially dangerous to your daughter and you doing nothing about it.”

She was really pushing the guilty Felicity angle and it made him wonder if it really was from a place of concern. “If you know something, definitively with proof, then tell me.”

Susan sat back down and took a few deep calming breaths. “I don’t have proof right now, if I did, she would already be arrested. But I have a lead and I couldn’t just keep it to myself until I got proof. If something happened to Tessa, I would never forgive myself. I love that little girl, Oliver.”

 _Since when_ , he thought, reminding himself that she hadn’t asked how Tessa was at the hospital. She hadn’t called when she said she would, she hadn’t visited Tessa since she got home. Not to mention the fact that his daughter was usually a good judge of character and she really didn’t like Susan at all.

He watched silently, studying her face as she took his hand in hers again. Her expression was one of worry and he didn’t know if he was imagining it or not but it looked a little too worried. Like she was trying too hard to get him to believe her. In his head he knew that it would be prudent to at least let her get as much information as possible, but his gut told him something else. He’d made decisions before based off of gut feeling, and it had always worked out for him. He was so confused.

“Please, Oliver. Just trust me on this. Felicity Smoak is dangerous. You need to protect Tessa from her.”

“I will always protect Tessa, Susan.” Tears appeared out of nowhere but Oliver couldn’t help but feel that he was being manipulated somehow. He cleared his throat and gently extracted his hand from her grip. “If you get proof, I will listen. But this isn’t just about Felicity. I told you that.”

Stunned, Susan sat back, just staring at him. “You want to break up.”

He realised that while he felt bad about it, he should’ve done it sooner. Tessa’s happiness meant the world to him and he had to do what was right for her. It killed him to think that Tessa had been burying her feelings just because she didn’t want to hurt his. It wasn’t fair, but he couldn’t keep dating Susan if it meant that Tessa would suffer for it. “I’m sorry but… I think it’s for the best.”

She scoffed as she glanced down at her hands. “For who? This is about Tessa not liking me, isn’t it? I have tried so hard to get that girl to like me. I’ve done everything I can think of. And now you’re telling me that I’m going to lose the man I love because of her?”

Wait, what? “You love me?”

A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked up at him. “Yes, Oliver. I was waiting for the right time to tell you but… I love you.”

“Oh, Susan… I—”

“You don’t love me. It’s okay. I understand now.” Slowly she stood up and smoothed down her dress. “I’ll go. See you around, I guess.”

With sad eyes, Susan left the dining room, leaving him sitting there feeling like an ass. He got up to follow her and found her at the front door shrugging into her coat.

“Susan, I’m really sorry.”

She held up a hand. “Please don’t, Oliver. I can’t right now. I’ll talk to you when I’m ready.”

She calmly walked to the door and stepped out. He felt awful but ultimately, he knew that he’d done the right thing for all of them. But one thing still concerned him. He’d had a gut feeling that her ‘lead’ about Felicity was false, but if that was the case, why was she pushing so hard for him to listen to her?

Could Susan be involved? She had been on the phone in the ice cream parlour at the time and Lance had corroborated that she’d been talking to her boss. But… something didn’t feel right. How exactly did the kidnappers know to be there at that precise moment? Add to that the vehemence with which she tried to get Felicity out of his apartment and…

No, he was being ridiculous. Why would Susan want to kidnap his daughter?

But still, he couldn’t shake the awful feeling that he might be onto something.

* * *

Outside Oliver’s apartment complex, Susan sat in her car seething. That had not gone to plan at all. She’d almost succeeded in getting rid of Felicity but then that little brat happened. She had tried to get the girl to like her, she was honest about that. But it seemed that Tessa couldn’t be persuaded. _This is why I never wanted children. They’re so fickle._

Why was he so stubborn? Any father who was presented with a lead on someone dangerous would do everything they could to protect their kid. Of course, she didn’t have a lead but she’d been hoping that Oliver would trust her enough to believe her instead of wanting proof.

 _So much for that trust thing he talked about!_ He’d expected her to trust him but when the tables were turned, he couldn’t do the same. That just made her angrier. Breaking up with her because his daughter didn’t like her was one thing, she could understand and even respect that. But he’d been lying when he’d said that it wasn’t about Felicity. She’d seen how he looked at her. How annoyed he was when he challenged her about asking Felicity to leave.

Did he think she was an idiot?

She’d known since the minute he walked into the kitchen that he was going to break up with her. Getting angry at him hadn’t been the best move, but even when she’d forced herself to calm down, and even more humiliatingly, told him she loved him, it still made no difference. He’d made up his mind and any further attempt to persuade him would’ve come across as desperate. Even she had her limits.

“Fuck!” What was she supposed to do now?

She leaned her head against the steering wheel, groaning whilst reaching for her cell phone. The whole thing had gone wrong from the start so she had no choice but to call _him_ now. Something that she’d been trying to avoid at all costs. She hit speed dial and waited.

“Susan!” A light, pleasant voice said as soon as he answered. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Uh…” she didn’t really know how to begin because no matter how light and pleasant that voice might be, she heard the undertones of darkness in it. “Things didn’t quite go to plan this evening.”

“Hmm, tell me, what exactly happened?” He didn’t sound surprised and that irritated her.

“Well, I tried to get rid of the Smoak woman but that failed. And uh… Oliver broke up with me.”

“Really?” Oh man, he sounded way too calm, this was bad. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.”

She was under no illusions that he meant that in the typical empathetic way but before she could respond he was speaking again.

“So, I take it you are still no closer to getting the girl.”

“No, I’m afraid not. It was hard enough when I was dating him, it’ll be even harder now.”

“Yes, it will.” The lightness was gone and in its place was a bone-chilling gravelly tone. “I put you on this mission because you said that you could get it done. That you could be trusted. I want Oliver Queen to suffer, to know what it feels like when someone hurts your child—”

“I thought you said Tessa would be safe!”

“Don’t interrupt me!” he yelled so loud that she had to move the phone away from her ear. “The child would come to no harm. You had a simple job to do! It was easy, distract Oliver, hire someone to kidnap the child. Simple! The only thing you’ve actually managed to do right was write that article. I let the fact that someone else got involved go because it was out of your control but this is just…” he trailed off and let out a loud sigh.

“Look, I know I messed up, but I’m not the only one. I can’t control how Oliver thinks or feels. As soon as that Smoak woman appeared on the scene it’s like he forgot about me.”

“You should’ve made yourself more memorable to him,” he fired back. “Those goons you hired, you need to get better control of them too or I will be forced to bring in my own men. Seems you can’t even be trusted to do that part right either.”

Angry fire spread through her veins, threatening to burst out of her. “That was hardly my fault. I didn’t know that one of them would try to go rogue!”

When he spoke again, his voice was back to sounding calm, and that was unnerving in itself. “Excuses, Susan. All I am hearing from you is excuses. You don’t know me as well as you should yet, but you will, and you will learn that I don’t tolerate mistake after mistake. Which one went rogue?”

Her lip was starting to hurt from biting it for so long but it was preferable to anything he might dish out. She just had to keep her cool a little longer. “His name’s McKenzie Milton. The other one, Alex, he’s actually pretty good at following orders.”

She heard him scribble something down on paper. “Noted. Anyway, what’s done is done. I will evaluate where we stand and I will speak to you later.”

“But—” He hung up on her, leaving her sitting there staring at her phone. What an asshole! But he was right, she’d managed to screw up a plan that had been pretty easy at the start. She knew why he wanted Oliver to suffer and she understood his motivations. She even shared some of them.

A dull feeling of dread spread throughout her whole body, she needed to fix this somehow. But all she could do now was sit and wait for his call.

_ **To Be Continued...** _


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of his break-up with Susan, Oliver starts to realise that not all is what it appeared to be with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys, I am back with another chapter. I am SO sorry it's taken me this long but things are still a little hectic in my life right now so please bear with me. I am trying to get these updates up for you as fast as I can and I hate leaving a long time between chapters but this is my life right now, unfortunately. 
> 
> That being said, I do have a new chapter for you and as always I hope that you like it. Enjoy, my friends :D

“Oliver, are you alright?” Felicity asked, coming up behind him at the kitchen counter.

He turned to face her, taken aback at how beautiful she looked in the moonlight streaming in through the window. Her skin glowed, her eyes sparkled. It was like he was seeing her for the first time. When she raised her hand to cup his face, he couldn’t stop the little gasp that escaped him. “Felicity,” he said, his voice strained along with other parts of him. “What are you doing?”

“Ssh, it’s okay. It’s all going to be okay now.”

Raising herself up onto her tiptoes, Felicity slowly brought her lips closer to his, agonisingly slowly. He leaned in, feeling the warmth of her breath…

A crashing sound had him bolting upright in bed, his heart pounding so hard he could practically hear it. He’d been dreaming? _What the fuck?_ It felt so real. His lips still felt the warmth and his hands tingled from the smooth skin of her waist.

He scrubbed his face, trying to wake himself up, and then glanced down to the floor next to the bed. Somehow in his dream, he’d knocked the lamp off of his bedside table and the resulting crash had woken him. He was both relieved and annoyed at the same time. Relieved because he shouldn’t be dreaming about Felicity like that, it was inappropriate, and annoyed because… well, it was a good dream.

He had no idea where it had come from, why he’d dreamed of her. Maybe it had something to do with what Susan suggested. She’d put the idea of something happening between him and Felicity in his head and his subconscious ran with it. With a shake of his head, he glanced over to make sure that the crash hadn’t woken Tessa too but… she wasn’t there. His bed was empty.

 _Oh God._ “Tessa?” he called in an urgent tone. “Tess?”

Maybe she’d just gone to get a drink or to the bathroom. He shot out of bed and headed into the adjoining bathroom. She wasn’t there. _Okay, calm down. She has to be here somewhere._ He checked the kitchen next, nothing. Same with the living room and everywhere else in the apartment. There was only one other place that she could be and by now his nerves were shot.

He stormed into Felicity’s bedroom and stopped cold, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. There she was, asleep in Felicity’s bed. The panic clawing at him slowly abated and he breathed deeply to try and calm himself down. She was here, safe and sound. So many horrible images had been running through his mind and it was hard to turn them off.

With another deep breath in, he finally calmed down enough to think. Tessa had obviously woken up and snuck into Felicity’s room. It was kind of sweet really. She was holding Felicity’s hand in her slumber. Awkwardly, he acknowledged that standing in the doorway staring at her bed was even more inappropriate than his dream had been. However, as his eyes drifted of their own accord over to Felicity, he froze. Her eyes were wide open and staring at him. She didn’t seem panicked or scared though, just wary and curious.

 _Shit, this isn’t good. Say something._ He saw her glance over to where Tessa was and then it dawned on her why he was there. Gently, she pulled her hand out of Tessa’s grasp and moved to wake the little girl. He placed a finger on his lips, stopping her.

“It’s okay, Felicity,” he whispered. “Don’t wake her.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, the light from the hallway behind him giving him a perfect view of her face. She looked exactly like she had in his dream, even the sleepy glaze in her eyes was adorable.

He cleared his throat quietly, he had to stop thinking of her like that. “Yeah, it’s fine. This is the most peaceful I’ve seen her since I brought her home from the hospital.”

Felicity nodded but her eyes drifted downwards and widened slightly, and suddenly, he became painfully aware that he was standing there shirtless. He saw her tongue peek out to lick her lips and then she forced her gaze back up. “I’ll take care of her, Oliver. You should get some sleep, you look tired.”

He really was, he realised. He hadn’t slept through the entire night in over a week now and it was starting to take its toll on him. With a nod and a smile that felt too tight on his face, he backed out of the room and closed the door softly. He was tired but right now, he needed a drink more than anything else.

After grabbing a t-shirt from his room, he sat down on the sofa with a bottle of his favourite scotch and a glass. Pouring himself a generous amount, he set the bottle down on the coffee table in front of him and finally allowed himself to sink back into the cushions and relax.

“Oliver?” A soft, sweet voice jolted him out of his thoughts and he sat up to see Felicity standing at the end of the sofa. She’d thrown on a bath robe, haphazardly by the looks of it, with one side hanging lower than the other.

“Are you okay?”

Her words made him sit up a little straighter. Had he fallen asleep again? No, he was awake enough to notice her frown.

“Do you want me to leave? I don’t mean to intrude, it’s just…” she sat down on the arm of the sofa. “You looked a little freaked out back there and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He wasn’t sure what to say, so many thoughts and feelings rushing through his mind. “I don’t know what I’m feeling right now, to be honest, Felicity.”

She moved around the sofa and gently lowered herself down into the seat at the other end of the sofa. “So, talk to me. If you want to, that is.”

Glancing at the clock he realised that it was 3am. “I’m sorry I woke you; I just woke up and she wasn’t there and my mind just…”

“You were worried, anyone would understand that, Oliver. I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I swear I didn’t know she’d wandered into my room. I would’ve told you if I’d known.”

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I know, it’s okay. I’m happy that she feels safe with you, it’s not hard to understand why that is. You’re a hero to her.”

There was that blush again, even in the dim light of the room he could see it rising up in her cheeks. It was adorable. He kept thinking that word a lot when he was around her but honestly, that’s what she was… adorable.

“So are you, Oliver. You’re her father, her safe place.”

“I hope so,” he murmured.

“I know so,” she countered. “That girl adores you and for good reason. Give yourself a break.”

“Susan and I uh… we broke up tonight.” He dropped his chin to his chest, feeling like an idiot for blurting that out of nowhere. _Why?_

Felicity’s eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

He didn’t want her to feel sorry for him, not when he didn’t deserve it. He’d broken up with Susan and hours later he was dreaming about another woman. About _kissing_ that woman. What did that say about him? What kind of man did that?

“Are you okay?” she asked again, this time referring to his relationship, or end of it anyway.

“Does it make me a bad person if I say yes?”

“I don’t think so. But then I don’t really know anything about your relationship. If you weren’t happy then you did the right thing. Either way, I doubt you could ever be a bad person, Oliver.”

He glanced at her over the rim of his glass as he took a sip of his drink. He thought about offering her one and then remembered that she was on painkillers. “I broke up with her, I ended it.”

“Why?” she asked, not shying away from the topic.

“Because of Tess. I can’t date someone that she doesn’t like. It wouldn’t be fair to her or to the person I’m dating.” _Also, I didn’t like the fact that she’d asked you to leave._ He kept that part to himself though. “But I think it’s also because I didn’t feel as strongly for her as I probably should’ve.”

Felicity nodded. “That seems like you’re being responsible, not a bad person. Tessa’s feelings come first for you, that’s how it should be. How did she take it, Susan, I mean?”

“She told me she loved me,” he scoffed. “It was the first time she’d said it to me and I feel awful for thinking that she didn’t really mean it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, it just felt like it was a last-ditch effort to stop me breaking up with her. That’s what it felt like anyway. I don’t know, maybe I’m imagining that part. She was upset when she left so I don’t know if I’ll hear anything from her again.”

Felicity looked pensive, lost in thought. “Felicity?”

She snapped her eyes back to him. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

She shifted a little in her seat. “I’d rather not say.”

He ducked his head to catch her gaze. “Hey, I thought we’d already established that you can talk to me.”

“It’s not that. I just… I was thinking about the last-ditch effort part of what you said. I got that same feeling when she was trying to persuade me to leave. She kept saying how it was affecting your relationship but when that didn’t work, she moved on to using Tessa. I’m not saying that anything she said was wrong, it wasn’t, but she knew how to hit the nail on the head. Although, she is a reporter, they’re pretty good with their words. Not that I’m saying that she was manipulating me but…”

“That’s what it felt like. I get it, I think maybe I’ve been a little blind to her faults as well. My mother and Thea had certainly warned me enough. It took Tessa finally telling me how she felt for me to see what was really happening.”

“Susan said that she didn’t understand why Tessa liked me so much but not her. She started crying and I don’t do well with crying, it makes me feel kind of awkward because I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth. But I don’t know, I felt like those tears were mostly for my benefit.”

Oliver winced. “I feel bad for even thinking it but… the fact that Tess likes you so much and not Susan after I’d been seeing her for months speaks volumes. As good as she was with Tessa, Susan often made little digs about her behaviour and my lack of disciplining it.”

Felicity scoffed in disgust. “She’s five, she needs love and care, not rules and punishment. Trust me, you’re doing very well in the father department.”

“Thank you, although I feel a bit stupid now for not seeing it before.”

“Kids are great judges of character. Better than most adults.” Her eyes slammed shut in the way that Oliver now knew meant she thought she’d put her foot in it. “Not that I’m saying your judgement is poor. I just meant that sometimes kids can see things that we don’t or choose not to.” She stopped and looked away, embarrassed. “Sorry. You might’ve noticed by now that I ramble sometimes.”

“It hasn’t escaped my attention,” he replied, chuckling lightly. “I like it. It’s refreshing in a world where most people just tell me what they think I want to hear.”

She placed her elbow on the back of the sofa, tucked one leg under the other, and leaned her head on her hand. “That must be difficult.”

“You get used to it, eventually. When I took over the running of QC everything changed. People who wouldn’t really give me the time of day before were now kissing my ass for things that they wanted, or thought I could do for them. They thought I was a naïve kid that they could manipulate or bully into doing what they wanted.”

“When did you take over as CEO?” she asked, her voice so soft it was like a lullaby.

“When my father died, four years ago,” he replied quietly, remembering that day clearly. It had been hard, sitting in his father’s office chair for the first time. As a child he’d visited his father at the office a lot and then all of a sudden, it was his. “Those were some big shoes to fill.”

“But you did it. It must’ve been hard, having to do that after losing someone you loved.”

He nodded. “It was certainly a challenge. Tessa was just over a year old and it took a lot for me to leave her on my first day. But looking back now, I’m glad I did it.”

Felicity seemed to absorb that and then smiled brightly. “Well, from what I hear, you’re doing a great job. Of course, that’s just what I hear in IT from the women who would probably faint if you talked to them.”

Oliver let out a surprised laugh, almost choking on his scotch. “No, please tell me they don’t all talk about me like that.”

Her grin widened mischievously. “Well, what did you really expect? I got the feeling that most of them talked about Mr Queen that way so, naturally, when you took over, they had a lot to say about it. When I started working there the older ladies joked about their toyboy boss, and the younger ones… well, I gather that they saw you as fresh meat. The fact that you’re their boss didn’t seem to faze them.”

Oliver squeezed his eyes shut.

“In fact, the day that I came up to fix your computer problem, a lady who shall remain nameless winked at me and said, ‘enjoy the view while you’re up there’. I wish I could say that she was talking about the view from your window but… I doubt it.”

Oliver groaned. “Oh, stop!”

Felicity’s laugh echoed through the living room, making him feel lighter than he had in years. “Sorry, it’s true. I mean, the Queens have good genes. You only have yourselves to blame.”

He put his hands over his ears. “No, no, stop it. I don’t want to hear this. I don’t want to think about them thinking that kind of stuff when I’m talking to them. Some of them are old enough to be my mother!”

“Exactly.” Felicity laughed even harder but then winced when it hurt her stomach.

Oliver dropped his hands and looked at her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just can’t laugh yet apparently. But your face was a picture so… it was worth it.”

Eventually, the laughter died down and they both sobered. Oliver stared at the bottom of his now empty glass and was surprised when Felicity gently took it from his hands and placed it on the coffee table.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked. “You’ve gone all broody.”

“I don’t brood,” he replied defensively. “But yeah, I’m okay. I guess I’m just feeling bad about Susan.”

“Do you regret breaking up with her?”

Slowly, he shook his head. “I think it should’ve happened a lot sooner than it did. But I was burying my head in the sand, I guess.”

“About what?”

“About whether or not we were the right fit for each other.”

Felicity leaned forward a little, making her hair fall over one shoulder like a waterfall of messy curls. _She really is very pretty_ , he thought.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you two meet?”

“Through my friend, Tommy Merlyn,” he said, waiting for the usual sting in his chest whenever he thought about his best friend. “We were at a bar and Tommy introduced us. I’m not really sure how they knew each other but she was nice. We chatted for a while but I never saw her again after that night. When he died…”

He closed his eyes against the wave of pain and felt Felicity’s warm hand cover his. He looked over at her and he could see that pain reflecting in her eyes.

“It’s okay, Oliver. You don’t have to tell me if it’s too painful. But I’m here if you want to, okay?”

He nodded, turning his hand slightly so that he could hold onto hers. “He died almost two years ago in a car accident. I was the one driving but I barely had a scratch on me. I didn’t know that Tommy hadn’t put his seat belt on. He’d gotten hammered at a club and called me to drive him home. Tessa was spending the night at my mom’s anyway so I picked him up. A drunk driver smashed into us…” he closed his eyes, trying to keep the images at bay. “Tommy died in the hospital from serious head wounds while I walked away with a broken wrist. I should’ve made sure he was buckled in.”

“Hey,” she said softly. When he didn’t respond, lost in his grief once again, she reached over to cup his cheek, turning his face towards her. “It wasn’t your fault, you know that.”

“I was driving,” he whispered.

“And it wasn’t your fault! You were _hit_ by someone else; _you_ didn’t hit anything. They were drunk. You were _not_ to blame.”

Her words didn’t erase his guilt but it did make him feel a little better that she wasn’t judging him. But he knew that she wouldn’t anyway, she wasn’t that kind of person. He cleared his throat and looked down at their joined hands. “Just before he died, when I picked him up, he made me promise to get back out there and start dating. That life was too short to not at least try to find happiness. The ramblings of a drunk man, or so I thought. But then he…so, after a few months, I asked Susan out and she said yes.”

“Is she…” Felicity trailed off, clearly unsure how to ask the question.

“Is she what?”

“Was Susan the first woman you dated since Tessa’s mother?”

He could feel his face cloud over with anger, felt it rising in his chest. “Yes, but I never dated Tessa’s mother. We uh, had a one-night stand and Tessa was the result. I was a little careless and rebellious back then.”

“Evading arrest?” she joked.

His lips twitched but he remained serious. “Yeah. Her name was Lily. We met at a club and were both drunk and one thing led to another.”

“You keep saying was… did something happen? Is that why she’s not around?”

Oliver shrugged, unable to inject any sympathy into his tone. “Yeah, but I know that if it hadn’t, she still wouldn’t be in Tessa’s life.”

“What do you mean?”

Oliver swallowed hard. Reliving Tommy’s death and now this was a little harder than he’d thought it would be. But for some reason, he wanted to tell her, he wanted Felicity to understand. “When she found out she was pregnant, she decided not to tell me until she was almost full-term. She just turned up on my doorstep one day, heavily pregnant, demanding to stay. Of course, I let her.”

“She sounds lovely,” Felicity said wryly.

 _You don’t know the half of it yet,_ he thought with disgust. “She moved in for a couple of weeks and we had eventually decided that we were going to raise the baby together but not _be_ together. We had nothing in common other than the baby so it would never have worked. But three weeks after she arrived, she took off again. I didn’t see her for another two weeks.”

Felicity squeezed his hand. “Where did she go?”

“She was apparently with some guy that she was in love with. He turned up one day after… after she passed away, claiming that Tessa was his but the DNA results showed she was mine. When he realised there was no money to be made, he vanished. But before that, when Lily came back, she offered me a deal. She was going to put the baby up for adoption or…”

“Oh God, what?”

“Or she would sell the baby to me. She didn’t want her; said she wasn’t mature enough to raise a kid.” He scoffed. “She was right about that. But she wouldn’t just give her to me, I had to pay her.”

“But you’re her father!”

“I know,” he replied, feeling strangely relieved by Felicity’s outraged tone. “It was either pay for the baby or she would disappear and put her up for adoption. I didn’t have many legal rights at that point so I did what she asked. I paid her, well, my mother did and she made her sign a contract stating that she would never have access to Tessa again. She agreed and signed. Then, she gave birth to Tessa and took off. I never saw her again until the day of her funeral.”

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered. When he looked at her he was surprised to see her crying. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, I got what was most important. I got my baby girl. She’s the reason I am who I am today. She changed my whole life and I couldn’t imagine it without her.” He drew in a deep breath. “About a year after I last saw her, Lily died of what was essentially a heart attack. She’d had a heart problem since birth that she’d never told me about. I had Tessa checked out, she’s fine.”

“Oh, well that’s good. But what about Lily’s parents? Don’t they ever see Tessa?”

That was part of what made him so angry about the situation. “No, I told them that they could see her whenever they wanted, I wanted her to have a relationship with her grandparents, but they refused. They said it was too painful to even consider. I understood at the time, but it’s now been five years, almost six, and they have never contacted me.”

Felicity shook her head sadly. “That’s just, that’s not right.”

Her sadness made Oliver wonder if something similar had happened to her in her childhood because she was very visibly upset. Anyone would be, hearing that story, but Felicity seemed to be taking it personally. He wouldn’t ask though; he’d wait patiently until she was ready to tell him. If she ever wanted to, that is.

Deciding to fill the silence, Oliver tried to lighten the mood. “Anyway, the past is in the past. Tessa has all she needs and she’s happy, that’s really all that matters now.”

“I guess so.”

She looked so sad and he felt his heart swell in both appreciation and concern. “Are you okay?”

She sat up a little straighter and nodded. “Yeah, I just feel bad for Tessa, that’s all. And you, of course.”

He recognised that she was now shielding him from seeing what she was really thinking. He didn’t want to push her though so he changed the subject. “Felicity, it’s late. You should go back to bed. Is your stomach still hurting?”

“No, I’m fine. But I do need to tell you something before I go.”

“What is it?” he asked, sensing from her expression that he wasn’t going to like what she had to say.

“After Susan practically begged me to leave, I excused myself to go to my room. But when I got into the hall, I heard her call someone.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. All she said was that it was done and that she was sure. I assumed she was talking about me but I don’t know for sure. It was just…weird, but it got my attention.”

Oliver frowned. He’d had a slight moment of suspicion earlier but had talked himself out of it. Now, though, that suspicion was quickly gaining traction. “Who would she have called? I don’t understand.”

Felicity looked slightly guilty. “I also have something else to confess. After that call, I decided to look into Susan a little more. So, I am running a check on her. I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to invade her privacy but something feels off with her, Oliver.”

He wasn’t thinking that at all and strangely, it felt good to know that he wasn’t the only one who felt that something wasn’t quite right. “Did you find anything?”

“Not yet, but I only started a little while ago. I might find nothing, whether she’s involved or not. But I doubt that she’d keep anything where someone could possibly find it. I just wanted you to know that I was doing it.”

Realising that their hands were still linked together, Oliver gave hers a little squeeze of support just as she’d done for him before. “It’s okay, Felicity. I trust you.”

Her smile returned as his words sunk in. “Thank you, that means a lot. I just want Tessa to be as safe as possible.”

 _And you_ , he thought. “I don’t really know what you can do with computers, but I have a feeling that it’s more than what you were hired for,” he said with a grin.

“Ask me no questions, I will tell you no lies, Mr Queen.” She smirked at him, daring him to correct her.

Instead, he just chuckled. “Go on, go back to bed. We can talk about this tomorrow.”

“You’re only my boss at work, you know.”

Still, she stood up and headed towards the door, throwing him a smile that was reminiscent of the one in his dream, bringing it to the forefront of his mind again.

He threw his head back against the cushions and groaned. He was in trouble here.

* * *

Felicity opened her eyes to the sun blaring in through her window. She squinted, cursing herself for not closing the curtains the night before. Then again, it had been a hectic night. Her run-in with Susan still made her angry every time she thought about it, but somehow, knowing that she was never going to upset Tessa again made it better.

Poor Oliver.

She may not know him that well, but she at least knew that he deserved way better than her. _What did he even see in her in the first place?_ Okay, that was catty, but in her defence, she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep. Talking to Oliver last night had been… wonderful really. He’d been through a lot and yet he was still a great guy just trying to do the best he could for his daughter. He was strong and kind. Those were things that she knew but she suspected that he was lonely too. Maybe that was why he’d asked Susan out. Partly to keep his promise to Tommy and partly because he just wanted female companionship. Who could blame him for that?

She glanced down at the sleeping little girl lying next to her. At least Oliver wasn’t completely alone. He had the best company anyone could wish for. She chuckled as she took in the sight of Tessa’s curly hair flopping over her face and she gently pushed it back behind her ear. Tessa stirred slightly but her eyes stayed closed. She looked peaceful, which Felicity was grateful for. No nightmare.

Forgetting herself for a second, Felicity stretched her arms above her head and immediately regretted it. Shooting pain radiated in her wound and before she could stop it, a curse popped out.

Tessa’s eyes shot open. “Flicity? Are you okay?”

Gritting her teeth, Felicity tried to smile through the pain. “Yeah, I’m fine. I see someone snuck into my room last night, huh?”

Tessa gave her a sheepish look. “I was scared.”

“Of what?”

She sighed quietly. “Daddy said that it was okay that I don’t like Susan.”

“Well, that’s good. But why were you scared?”

“I woke up and saw that bad man. But Daddy was asleep and I didn’t want to wake him but I was scared.”

“Hey, it’s okay, Tessa. It’s normal to be scared of the bad things but you know that you are safe here, this is your home. You know that your dad and Mr Diggle will always protect you. And me, you do know that I will protect you too, right?”

Tessa nodded in agreement but then frowned. “He looked really sad last night. So, I came here, is that okay, Flicity?”

Felicity reached over to tousle her hair, which was already a mess. “Of course it is. Tell you what, how about we let your dad sleep in this morning and you and I can make him breakfast for a change.”

Her entire face lit up, something that Felicity found so adorable that it was hard to keep the smile off her face too. “Yes!”

“Okay, what does your dad normally have for breakfast?”

“Sometimes he has cereal, sometimes oatmeal. Sometimes he has pancakes and bacon, oh and eggs too.”

Felicity nodded. “So, a little of everything then, huh?”

Tessa looked thoughtful for a moment. “Oh, I know! He really likes waffles with strawberries on top!”

“Are you sure that isn’t you?” she asked playfully and Tessa giggled.

“I love waffles but pancakes are my favourite.”

Felicity threw back the covers. “Okay then, little lady. Let’s go make some waffles.”

By the time Oliver finally walked into the kitchen, Felicity and Tessa were up to their elbows in waffle batter and the counter was littered with ingredients. For someone who was a certified genius and knew a computer like the back of her hand, cooking always presented a challenge. Not to say that she was a bad cook, she just only knew how to do a certain number of things well. Waffles, apparently, wasn’t one of them.

“What’s all this?” Oliver asked, walking across the kitchen like he was a model or something. Felicity almost dropped the measuring cup when she saw him. He was wearing a white t-shirt, and grey sweatpants, which he’d obviously just thrown on after getting out of bed. His hair was messy and all she could think about was running her hands through it.

He looked refreshed like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. His eyes were bright and he had the biggest grin on his face. _He’s gorgeous when he smiles_. Well, he was gorgeous most of the time, but when he smiled, he was downright dangerous. She blinked as she realised where her thoughts were heading and quickly stamped them down. _He just broke up with his girlfriend, get it together!_

“We’re making waffles, Daddy!” Tessa announced excitedly, providing a welcomed distraction.

“I can see that, baby,” he replied, wandering around to their side of the counter. He leaned his elbows on the edge, avoiding the mess, to bring himself to eye level with Tessa. “But _why_ are you making waffles?”

Tessa’s tongue poked out in concentration as she stirred the batter. “Flicity said you needed to sleep. So, we let you sleep in. We’re making you breakfast.”

His eyes flicked up to Felicity and once again she was blessed with that beautiful smile. But now there was something more there, a warmth that she hadn’t seen before.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied but his gaze remained on her, that warm smile making her stomach flutter. Giving herself a mental shake, she looked down at the bowl on the counter, but she could still feel him looking at her. “But you might change your mind when you actually taste these. Cooking is not exactly my forte.”

He chuckled as he stood up and placed his hands on Tessa’s shoulders. “I’m sure they’ll taste great. How did my little lady sleep last night?”

“Oh!” Tessa turned around so fast that some of the batter on the spoon flew off and hit Oliver directly on the chest. “Oops, sorry Daddy.”

Oliver’s smile never wavered, he simply shrugged and grabbed a cloth to wipe it off. “It’s okay. So, how did you sleep?”

Her excitement returned as she remembered what she’d been about to tell him. “I didn’t have a bad dream, Daddy!”

Felicity watched with awe as Oliver’s face brightened even more if that were possible, and he cheered. He was such an amazing father. Knowing what she now knew about Tessa’s mother, Felicity understood his efforts a little more. He wanted Tessa to know that she was the most important thing in the world to him.

“That’s excellent, baby!”

Strangely, as they high-fived, Felicity found herself feeling slightly emotional. Maybe it was from knowing how much they’d been through or hearing Oliver’s story last night. Either way, she found herself so grateful to have fallen into their lives.

“Felicity?” Oliver said, catching her attention.

“Sorry, yes?”

“How did you sleep last night?”

She shrugged and continued mixing the batter in the bowl. “I got a couple of hours. How about you?”

“Same, but how are you feeling? Should you be doing all this?” he asked, gesturing at the counter.

“I feel fine, Oliver. In fact, I feel better than I have in days so I’m taking it as a win.”

“Good.” He nodded, still smiling, still unknowingly driving her crazy. “You want some help there, Tess?”

Tessa was clearly struggling but she shook her head vehemently. “No, Daddy. This breakfast is for you. Go and sit down.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows but pinched his lips together to keep from laughing until Tessa corrected herself. “Please go and sit down, Daddy.”

He held his hands up in surrender and took a seat on the other side of the counter. “Fair enough. Okay, master chefs, let’s see what you’ve got.”

* * *

Susan’s morning had not gotten off to a good start. Apart from the fact that she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, nothing seemed to be going her way. Which was why she was now standing in the bullpen in front of the printer, resisting the urge to throw the damn thing through the window. On top of all that, she hadn’t heard from Mack, she’d called a dozen times but he never picked up. That didn’t bode well for her. If she couldn’t get him in line… well, it would be bad.

“Miss Williams?”

More paper crumpled in the printer and she growled as she punched the machine. “What?”

Lana, a lovely middle-aged woman from reception took a step back at her tone. “Sorry to bother you, but Mr Fallon wants to see you in his office right away.”

Susan breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. What on earth did he want now? “Thanks, Lana. Sorry for snapping, it’s been a bad morning.”

Lana simply nodded and walked away, leaving Susan feeling a little guilty for her outburst. Giving up on the printer from hell for the moment, she went back to her desk and saw that someone was calling her cell phone. Private number. _Ugh, what now?_

“Hello?” she answered, keeping her tone level.

“Meet me at my office at lunch.” The reply was blunt.

“Why, what happened?” There had to be a reason he was calling her at the office since he usually always avoided it.

“Due to the mess you’ve created, the plans have changed. I’ve taken care of your problem but this is your last chance. So, my office, lunch.”

The line went dead and she had to resist the urge to slam it down on her desk. The man was smart but he was also so infuriating, and what problem had he taken care of?

She rubbed at the kink in her neck that had appeared after a night of sleeping at her dining table and then headed out of the bullpen. The way her morning was going, a meeting with her boss was the last thing she wanted.

* * *

“Wow,” Oliver said, sitting back in his seat at the breakfast bar. “That was amazing.”

Tessa’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Really, the waffles were fantastic. My compliments to the chef,” he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “Oops, sorry, chefs.”

He threw a wink at Felicity and enjoyed the resulting blush that brightened her face. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the morning?”

Just as he’d finished his question there was a loud knocking at the front door, and immediately he noticed Tessa’s smile fade. It hurt him deeply to see her still so afraid.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ll go see who it is and you finish your breakfast.”

He caught Felicity’s eye over Tessa’s head and when she nodded ever so slightly, he knew that she understood and started trying to distract Tessa.

The knocking became more urgent as he walked to open the door and the second he opened it, Thea’s fist hit him square in the chest. “Hey, Speedy, what’s wrong?”

She ignored him as she flew into the apartment, heading straight towards the kitchen, leaving him no choice but to follow along.

“Have you guys seen this?” she asked, practically pushing her cell phone into his hands.

“Hi, Aunt Thea.”

“Hey, Tess, ooh you guys had waffles? Jealous!”

Tessa giggled. “Me and Flicity made them for Daddy.”

Thea reached across to tickle her. “Well then, next time you stay over you can make breakfast for me too.”

“Deal. But you have to help me.”

“Really? You can’t make them by yourself?”

“Silly, I’m too little and not allowed to touch the stove.”

Thea laughed. “Oh, that’s right. Okay, we can make them together.”

Oliver frowned; he could see Thea practically vibrating as she spoke to Tessa.

Felicity, he noticed, immediately put on a smile and bowed her head towards Tessa. “Hey, Tessa, why don’t you go and get dressed now, huh?”

“But I was going to help you clean up,” she said with a pout.

“That’s okay, you can help me when you’re all dressed. Okay?”

Tessa thought about it for a moment and then hopped down off her chair. “Okay, Flicity, but wait for me, okay?”

“I will, I promise.”

When she was gone, Oliver returned his attention to Thea. “What’s going on, Thea?”

She thrust a hand out towards her phone. “Just look!”

Oliver frowned at the screen, seeing the web page of a local gossip site that he always tried to avoid. They _loved_ his family a little too much. To this day he still couldn’t understand how where he bought his coffee or his clothes from held such an interest for people.

“What am I looking at?” he asked as he scrolled down. He had no time for these so-called ‘journalists’ writing stories about him and his family. It was always rubbish about his personal life. “Thea, why are you still going on these trash sites?”

“Just read it, Ollie!”

“Okay, okay.” He scrolled down a little more and the headline caught his attention immediately.

**CEO Oliver Queen a Cheater?**

_Uh-oh_. He shook his head as he scrolled a little further, his anger building until he came to the part that he both dreaded and knew that he would find.

_Miss Smoak, who, interestingly enough, works at Queen Consolidated, was seen arriving at Mr Queen’s apartment three days ago but has not left since. Rumour has it that Mr Queen has found himself a new beau, but what about his current girlfriend, Miss Williams?_

Oliver clicked off the page and almost slammed the phone down on the counter. He’d seen enough, he didn’t need to read anymore to know what they were implying.

“That went up this morning,” Thea said. “Ollie, this isn’t good.”

Oliver looked up at Felicity who, judging by the grimace she was wearing, already knew what this might be about. He shook his head apologetically, this wasn’t fair, she didn’t deserve to have her name thrown about like this.

“I take it my staying here is no longer a private matter?” she asked.

“No, I’m so sorry, Felicity.”

She carefully got down from her chair and walked over to him, holding her hand out for the phone. He handed it to her silently, unable to look her in the eye. The room was quiet as she read the article, so quiet that he was a little unnerved at what her reaction might be.

Finally, she handed the phone back to Thea and pressed her lips together. “Well, we knew this was going to happen sooner or later.”

“You’re… not mad?”

She shrugged. “I’m not exactly happy about it but it’s done now. I’m angrier at the fact that they called you a cheater. That’s unfair.”

Oliver blinked; this woman never stopped surprising him. Instead of being angry over the fact that the website was basically accusing her of being a homewrecker and a gold-digger, she was more concerned with what they’d said about him. Amazing.

“I’ll talk to Amy,” he said to Thea, then realised that Felicity didn’t know who that was. “She’s our PR manager. I’ll see if she can get this taken down.”

“Oliver, it’s really not that big of a deal. But if you want it taken down there are easier and faster ways,” Felicity said.

The gleam in her eye told him that she was probably excited to exact some sort of revenge, and he already knew she was good with computers. He couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his face. “What are you planning, Miss Smoak?”

“Oh who, me? Nothing. Nothing at all. I was just thinking that it would be an awful shame if something were to happen to that website. I mean, they must get a lot of clicks, lots of ad-revenue. I wouldn’t want anything to interfere with that.”

His grin widened as he looked into her mischievous eyes. “No, that would be bad.”

They stared at each other for a few moments until Thea cleared her throat, reminding him that she was still standing there. He broke his gaze away from Felicity to see his sister wearing a smug smile.

“What are you two talking about? Why would something happen to the website?”

“It’s nothing, Thea, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it, but thank you for letting us know. Oh, also, stop going to those sites, you never find anything good there.”

Thea looked affronted. “Excuse me, someone has to keep an eye on this family. Besides, where else am I going to get all my celebrity gossip from?”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “Fine, but at least choose a better one, if there is such a thing.”

Thea frowned. “I’m more curious about the fact that you haven’t mentioned Susan in all this. What’s going on there?”

Oliver flicked a glance at Felicity who quickly averted her gaze. “Uh, well, we… we broke up.”

“Hallelujah!” Thea cried, then caught the look of disapproval he was sending her. “Sorry, but I can’t deny that I’m not sorry about it. That woman is trouble, Ollie.”

“Well, you can relax. She’s probably never going to speak to me again.”

Thea snorted. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Thea,” he warned.

“Wait a second, when did you guys break up?”

“Last night, why?”

Thea’s forehead creased into a frown. “Well, isn’t it obvious? She totally went running to the gossip sites to get revenge.”

Oliver didn’t want to believe that was true, but after last night how well could he say that he actually knew Susan. Would she do that? “That article doesn’t exactly make her look good either, Thea.”

“Are you kidding me? It basically painted her as the victim! Poor Susan, cheated on by her boyfriend with a woman who works for him. I’m telling you, she’s behind this.”

“She could be right, Oliver,” Felicity said, arms folded over her stomach. “You told me that Susan was pissed when she left here last night. After trying to get rid of me and then you breaking up with her, I could actually believe that she did this.”

“Wait, what? She tried to get rid of you?” Thea asked.

“Well, no. She just asked me to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because apparently my being here was affecting her relationship with Oliver, which I thought was insane but… there it is.”

“See?” Thea said. “That bitch is behind this.”

A gasp from the kitchen doorway silenced all of them. Tessa stood there, now fully dressed, with her mouth open in shock. “Aunt Thea, you said a bad word.”

“Hey, Tess, you heard that, huh?” Thea scooped her up into her arms. “Sorry about that. I did say a bad word, yes. I won’t do it again.”

 _At least not in earshot,_ Oliver thought, knowing his baby sister too well.

“Why is everyone so serious?” Tessa asked, glancing at him and Felicity.

“It’s nothing, baby,” Oliver said. “I was just telling Aunt Thea off for not being in school like she should be.”

Behind Tessa’s head, Thea poked her tongue out at Oliver. “Actually, I have a free period this morning. But I should be getting back. Okay, squirt, down you go.”

“But you just got here,” Tessa whined.

“I know, but how about we have a sleepover soon to make up for it?”

For the first time in years, or maybe ever, Oliver saw his daughter actually reluctant to sleep at his mother’s house. She was normally so excited to do it. “Tess? You want to?”

“Will you come too, Daddy? And Flicity?”

He was about to answer when Thea crouched down in front of her. “Hey,” she said softly. “It doesn’t have to be right away. We can wait until you feel a little more comfortable with the idea. But if you want to, I can _promise_ you that you will be safe there. Diggle will be there and Grandma and Grandpa Walter. And all the security staff that you know will be there too.”

Tessa didn’t look convinced. “Maybe soon, Aunt Thea.”

“Okay, sweetie, that’s totally fine. It’s your choice.” She stood back up, sending Oliver a look that said she was worried about Tessa. He was too but he couldn’t really blame her for not wanting to sleep somewhere else while all this was going on.

“Right, I gotta go.” Thea leaned down to kiss Tessa on the head. “We’ll do something fun at the weekend, squirt. I love you!”

"I love you, too!" she yelled after them.

Oliver walked her to the door, leaving Tessa with Felicity in the kitchen. “Thanks, Speedy, she’s still a little on edge.”

“Can’t blame her, we’re all on edge. Have you heard anything from Lance yet?”

“Nothing new. I’m waiting for him to call me with an update today.”

Thea nodded and stepped out into the hall. “Okay, call me when you find out.”

“I will, and please be careful out there, Speedy. We don’t know that this was just an isolated incident. Any one of us could be at risk.”

She clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Roy’s downstairs. I’ll be just fine.”

Oliver watched her get onto the elevator, nodded a quick hello to his security guard, and then closed the door. His cell phone chimed just as he started walking back into the kitchen.

“Hello?”

“Queen, it’s Lance.” There was an urgency in his tone that had him both terrified and hopeful at the same time.

“Did you find something?” he asked, noting that he’d caught Felicity’s attention.

He scoffed. “You could say that. Look, I need you to bring Miss Smoak into the station as soon as possible.”

Oliver frowned. “What? Why?” Had Susan told them of her possible ‘lead’ that Felicity was involved? Had Lance found something that corroborated that?

“I’ll explain when you get here, just… get here,” he said, then he hung up.

Oliver put his phone down on the counter, looking at Felicity’s expectant expression.

“Was that Lance?”

“Yeah.”

“What did he want?”

“He wants me to take you to the station.”

“What for?” she asked and he wasn’t sure if he was imagining the nervousness in her tone or not.

“He didn’t say but he said that we need to get there as soon as possible.”

Felicity licked her lips and plastered on a smile for the confused little girl in front of her. “Well then, I guess I’d better go get dressed.”

**_To Be Continued...._ **


End file.
